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Please switch over to Part 3: http://eastlondonnews.co.uk/almost-live-from-the-count-part-3/
02.15 Meanwhile the TV in the press pen announces that Cathy Jamieson (a former left wing Labour MP) has suffered a massive swing against her and lost her seat – Jim Murphy will have to eat his words. Virtually immediately afterwards, news comes that Jeremy Corbyn (a current left wing Labour MP) has retained Islington North. ‘Nuff said.
02.00 Rushanara Ali has now arrived. She has been greeted with two very distant air kisses from Jim Fitzpatrick and by the previously bored photographers in the press pen rushing over to take her photo – it really could not have been more exciting if Beyoncé had walked in. Even Labour’s candidate in the Stepney by-election rushed over to take a photo: isn’t this the wrong way round?
01.55 Thoughts are now turning to what votes the Labour candidates will receive. In May 2010, Rushanara Ali received 21,784 votes, which was 42.94% of the votes cast. In May 2010, Jim Fitzpatrick received 18,679 votes, which was 40% of the votes cast. In an hour or two, we’ll know if they have fared better or worse than last time around – or even done much the same all over again. The tension over the Tower Hamlets result which is so palpable in the press tent is fortunately broken briefly by the news that there is a recount in Croydon. Thank-you, Croydon.
01.52 We have the turnout figures. In Poplar & Limehouse, 51,260 ballot papers were issued at polling stations, and 51,254 votes were counted out of the boxes. The electorate is 82,081 – so that’s a turnout of 62.44%. In Bethnal Green & Bow, 53,192 ballot papers were issued and 53,187 were counted out of the boxes. The electorate is 82,727 – that’s a turnout of 64.29%.
01.32 The last postal vote box is being verified: then the counting will start.
01.30 The prospective MP for Poplar & Limehouse is not alone: although not with him initially, his wife has now joined him as he walks round the counting venue. In other news, the toilet seats in the ladies’ are very wobbly. Why is that necessary? Apparently the Newham count is at the Velodrome: “borough picks up a bit of Olympic legacy”, then. The news from the rest of the UK is not looking good: how can we survive another five years of the Tories? For Tower Hamlets, that means direct rule – someone has seen one of the commissioners walking round.
01.02 Apart from the arrival of the prospective MP for Poplar & Limehouse, little else is happening. Most of the counting staff are on their breaks. We’ve been talking in the press pen about whether we should storm the counting area and start the counting ourselves. We’ve got enough to take them… but the press seem content, on reflection, to report the news, not make it.
01.00. Rushanara Ali may not be here yet, but Jim Fitzpatrick has just arrived.
00.55 There’s little gossip going round: partly there’s few people to spread any, and partly it’s been a straightforward contest here and there’s not been much to talk about. However, one passing candidate has stopped long enough at the press pen to say that they watched the verification of the postal votes collected today and they reckon Labour’s Rushanara Ali got 95% of them. A Labour source said earlier that she had over 50% of the votes which came into the Town Hall earlier. That’s a lot. Shame she’s not here to bask in the glory. And shame Labour’s local success appears not to have been replicated elsewhere in the UK.
00.46 Yes: there’s just been an announcement that all but 12 of the boxes have been verified. The last 12 are being done now – and then we’ll get the turnout figures, before the counting of the votes begins. Staff who have been verifying are enjoying a quick break: when they come back, they have to prepare the tables for the vote counting (what on earth does that entail, beyond sitting down?) and then we begin the second stage.
00.42. There was a hive of activity over at the counting tables… until about half an hour ago. Counting seems to have stopped – which may well mean that the first stage (verification) is done.