Brentford West by-election result after former Labour councillor resigned over Gaza conflict

Labour has gained another councillor in the Brentford West ward after a tight contest. There were worries that independent candidate Theo Dennison could have an outside chance to snatch the by-election from the Labour Party, which has seen so much success in Brentford.

However, he was defeated by Emma Yates who returned the seat to Labour after its previous incumbent Lara Parizotto quit the party and became an independent back in October 2023 due to its position on the Israel-Palestine conflict. She triggered a by-election after she stepped down from being a councillor in March.

Ms Yates achieved a slim majority over Mr Dennison, beating him by less than 200 votes. A vocal critic of the council Mr Dennison has blasted the Labour Administration as 'corrupt' and said that the closure of Brentford's Watermans Art Centre was "symptomatic of the neglect of Brentford, the secrecy of
the Council, and its ineptitude."

READ MORE: Closure of much-loved arts centre becomes battleground for Brentford West by-election

However, his strong rhetoric was not enough to sway voters who chose to return the seat to Labour. In contrast to her rival Ms Yates, who works as an assistant to Seema Malhotra the MP for Feltham and Heston, has previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she is "proud of our record as a Labour administration."

Born and raised in Hounslow, Ms Yates said her favourite thing about the borough is the people, telling LDRS: "So many people work together to make it a better place to live and work and I love the sense of community."

During her campaign, Ms Yates has committed to working hard "with the local community and council to get the [Watermans] centre re-opened for temporary use as soon as possible, whilst we work towards delivering a new state of the art centre in Brentford West."

She has also promised to work on raising awareness of the council support available for Hounslow residents during the cost of living crisis. Less than half of eligible voters turned out for the by-election with just 45.1 per cent heading out to the polls.

Prominent members of Hounslow Labour were quick to congratulate the new councillor. Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council Katherine Dunne wrote on Twitter: "Congratulations to our newest councillor @EmmaJaneYates02!"

Former Labour councillor Sylvia Undata added: "Great news! Congratulations @EmmaJaneYates02."

Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford & Isleworth, also shared her joy at Ms Yates's victory: "I’m so pleased that @EmmaJaneYates02 has been elected to represent Brentford West Ward on Hounslow Council - as she’ll be an excellent Councillor and I look forward to working with her! @Hounslow_Labour."

Responding to her win Ms Yates said: "I am honoured that the people of Brentford West have placed their trust in me to represent them. We chose to run a positive campaign focusing on Hounslow Labour's record of achievement, and the need to build a fairer, greener, safer Brentford. Now the hard work begins, I can't wait to get stuck in."

Don't miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MyWestLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.