Labour breaks through to win five seats in City

LABOUR was today celebrating a breakthrough in what was once a no-go zone for the party — the City of London.

In elections yesterday five Labour members were voted onto the common council in the financial district — where there were none four years ago. It challenges the centuries-old tradition of eschewing party political labels at the Guildhall, where almost all candidates run as “independents”.

Barbican resident Richard Crossan, a PR consultant who won Aldersgate ward, said: “For us to get a single seat in Guildhall was unthinkable just a few years ago. For the small but spirited Labour party here in the Square Mile, this is a very special day indeed.” Labour began contesting the City’s elections after the global financial crisis. It failed to win any seats in 2009 or 2013 but won a by-election three years ago.