Date for Brent East by-election announced
Voters in Brent East will have the chance to elect a new MP on September 18.
The by-election was called after Labour MP Paul Daisley died of cancer in June.
Mr Daisley had a majority of 13,047 at the 2001 general election.
Analysts view the by-election as a stern test for the Blair administration, whose popularity has been undoubtedly tarnished by the Dr Kelly scandal.
Labour’s main rival in Brent is from the Liberal Democrats’ candidate, Sarah Teather, a charity worker.
Her party was criticised for beginning the selection process for the seat while Mr Daisley was still fighting the disease.
Labour’s candidate, Robert Evans MEP, said of the late Mr Daisley: “[He] was a magnificent MP for Brent East. His death was a great loss to the people of this community.
“Like Paul, I will work flat out to achieve high levels of prosperity and jobs in Brent East. I will strive to make sure the extra government investment continues to make a difference to public services in Brent.
“And I will back tough new measures to combat crime and antisocial behaviour.”
The Conservative candidate, Uma Fernandes, a community nurse, said of the by-election: “For too long now the people of Brent have been let down. Let down by a failing council and let down by a government that arrogantly thinks they can ignore the views of local residents yet still get elected.”
She vowed to draw voters’ attention to the poor performance of London’s Tube and trains.
Ms. Fernandes said: “Despite ever rising taxes, the state of public transport in Brent and London as a whole has got worse under this Labour government. On the trains and Tube, there are more delays and journeys are less reliable. On top of this, crime statistics show that passengers are now at greater risk of violent attack and theft and more likely to face unpleasant yob behaviour and drug dealing.
“Many Londoners will find it simply unacceptable that when the safety and reliability of our public transport is getting worse, their fares are being hiked up on a massive scale.”
