Lib Dem candidate Gail Engert stormed to victory last night in a landslide win in the Muswell Hill ward by-election. The Muswell Hill resident scored a massive 70% of the votes, leaving Labour far behind on just 13%. In another night of disaster for Haringey Labour following their Stroud Green defeat in January, the Labour candidate recorded the lowest Labour share of the vote since the creation of the borough that the party has ruled for over thirty years.

Despite the Lib Dems winning the ward convincingly in 2002, Muswell Hill voters swung even more heavily behind the Lib Dems than in the 2002 local elections, with the party securing a further 7% swing from Labour.

The scale of the win places further huge doubts on Labour’s ability to hold the Hornsey and Wood Green Parliamentary seat, where the Lib Dems are now the majority party, with 16 councillors to Labour’s 14.

Newly elected Lib Dem councillor Gail Engert, comments:

“This was an amazing win, and I am grateful that the voters in Muswell Hill have given such a huge vote of confidence for the work of the Liberal Democrats in the area. I am looking forward to working with local people and all my colleagues on the many issues that have been raised during the past four weeks, not least the need to reopen the police station front counter, and making a success of the new bus route to Hampstead.”

Lib Dem Group leader and Highgate councillor Neil Williams adds:

“I want to congratulate Gail on such a brilliant win. With our two wins in Stroud Green and Muswell Hill, I am delighted that we have two such excellent new councillors in Laura Edge and Gail Engert.

“Last night’s result was a further warning to Labour that they can no longer expect to represent Haringey at any level. They are out of touch with the concerns of local people, and the voters are deserting them in ever increasing numbers.We will continue working hard to achieve further successes in future.”