Lewis Baston Journalist Profile

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Election 2019 | The Critic Magazine

1 week ago | thecritic.co.uk | Asa Bennett |Pierre d’Alancaisez |Oliver Wiseman |Lewis Baston

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Greenwich: Labour holds off Lib Dem surge in West Thamesmead

Dec 22, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

The year 2024 was an important one in London for elections. It was the first year in which both a general election and elections for Mayor of London and the London Assembly took place. There was also a steady stream of by-elections for borough council seats, contests which have generally seen poor results for whichever party was in national government at the time. The very last of these took place on Thursday 19 December with a by-election in the Greenwich Council ward of West Thamesmead.
Lewis Baston: Labour's 'Super Thursday' by-election holds can't disguise its slide

Nov 30, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

Thursday 28 November saw a Super Thursday of London borough by-elections. There were five vacancies in four wards in three boroughs. Two of the contests arose from councillors being elected MPs in July’s general election, and one party – Labour – was defending all the seats. A lot of the activity concerned Barking & Dagenham. It hosted three of the votes, one of which came about for the same reason Enfield held a by-election on the same day.
Lewis Baston: Labour holds up well in Greenwich and Redbridge by-elections

Nov 17, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

Two borough by-elections took place on Thursday, one in Redbridge and the other in Greenwich. Their results were intriguingly different from those of the pair held a month ago, one of which was also for a Greenwich seat. On that occasion, the contest was for the marginal (normally Conservative) Eltham Town & Avery Hill ward. The latest was in a ward that, like most of Greenwich, is usually reliably Labour – Shooters Hill.
Tory gain in Greenwich, a Labour hold in Bexley.

Oct 19, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

Last week, in Ealing, Labour enjoyed some respite from its poor run of council by-elections since the general election in July. But this week the party has seen a return to poor performances previously seen in Camden and Westminster, with a loss to the Conservatives in Greenwich and a narrow hold in a safe ward in neighbouring Bexley. Given the general recent trend, the result in Greenwich’s Eltham Town & Avery Hill ward should not have come as a surprise.
Labour scores double win as Lib Dem also triumphs

Oct 11, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

Thursday 10 September saw further sequels to July’s general election, with by-elections held in three borough wards where councillors had become MPs. Contests held for the same reason have previously taken place in Camden and Westminster. This time, it was Ealing’s turn. The Hanger Hill race was unusual in that the councillor who ran successfully for parliament was a Conservative.
Lessons for Labour from Westminster by-elections

Sep 23, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

The City of Westminster is in one sense just one of the 32 London boroughs, providing local services and functioning as a democratic representative institution for the 200,000 or so people – or at least those entitled to vote – in its patch. But at another level it is a uniquely prestigious local authority whose concerns cover places of national and international importance – no other council has as much to do, day to day, with central government and even the royal household.
Trio of Camden by-election wins underlines Labour strength

Sep 7, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

The first London borough by-elections triggered by councillors becoming MPs on 4 July took place in Camden on Thursday to fill vacancies created following the general election wins for Labour of Georgia Gould, Danny Beales and Lloyd Hatton. Gould, a member of Camden Council since 2010 and its leader since 2017, had represented Kentish Town South ward and resigned after winning the safe Queen’s Park & Maida Vale parliamentary seat, the successor to Karen Buck’s Westminster North.
Eight thoughts about the general election in London

Jul 21, 2024 | onlondon.co.uk | Lewis Baston

The political complexion of London has once again turned redder. Labour gained eight seats in the capital at the general election of 4 July, 2024 – highlighted in the map above – all at the expense of the Conservatives. They lost only one: Islington North, to Jeremy Corbyn standing as an Independent. The Liberal Democrats also did well, gaining three seats from the Tories, highlighted in bright yellow.
The impact of Muslim voters at the 2024 election was even bigger than you think

Jul 6, 2024 | hyphenonline.com | Lewis Baston

Muslim voters provided one of the shocks of the 2024 general election. There was a dramatic Labour collapse in the constituencies with the highest proportions of Muslims. My own research over the last 36 hours has found that, in the 21 seats where more than 30% of the population is Muslim, Labour’s share dropped by 29 percentage points from an average 65% in 2019 to 36% in 2024.