Labour Hold Brentford and Isleworth

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Ann Keen gets third term with a reduced majority

Ann Keen has held the Brentford and Isleworth constituency for the Labour party.

The sitting MP held onto the seat with a reduced majority of 4,411 getting 39.8% of the vote.

There was a strong challenge from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates but hopes that controversies over Mrs. Keen's support for the Iraq war and expense claims relating to a second home might lead to a surprise result proved ill-founded.

The strongest performance in the poll was from the Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Dakers who nearly doubled his party's vote raising it enough to challenge for second place.

Andrew Dakers, the Liberal Democrat candidate hailed his party’s best performance in the constituency since the Second World War which saw a 9.9% increase in the vote saying, “With this rate of growth we will be serious challengers to Labour in next year’s local elections, as well as the next parliamentary elections.”

Phil Andrews, the Community Party candidate congratulated the other candidates in the poll for their professionalism with the exception of Ann Keen who he blasted for her presidential style arrival at the count. He described it as ‘an obviously choreographed demonstration of their innate greatness’ and said, “ What pillocks they made themselves look, and what a shame the voters could not have been treated to a preview of this hilarious and ludicrous display before being asked to mark their ballot papers. “

Labour's majority in this seat has fallen from 14.424 in 1997 to the current level.

Turnout slightly up on last time with 54.5% of the electorate voting. The result was one of the last to be declared in London as the counts from the two Hounslow Borough constituencies were made in the same place. However there was controversy as many Irish citizens who were eligible to vote in the election were excluded due to a clerical error. The returning officer is understood to have taken legal advice on the matter and decided to proceed. It is thought unlikely that a legal challenge to the result would succeed. The Council have not responded to our request for a comment on the matter.

May 7, 2005