“It’s a disaster,” said Tony Field, after Labor won control of Westminster City Council for the first time since its inception in 1964. The municipal tax will rise below Labor. I’m sure of it.”
Picking up his copy of the Daily Mail, Field, a retired railroad worker, said Boris Johnson had a “bad correction” but added: “He has begun to regain his touch. I don’t think Boris did anything wrong. What is it like to drink something when you are prime minister. Starmer did, too. “
Tony Field, a minority supporter in the Westminster neighborhood. Photo: Alicia Canter / Guardian
But Field appears to have been in the minority in the Maida Vale area of Westminster on Thursday.
“I was very happy when I woke up and realized that Labor had won,” said Nahid Poladi, a former bookseller. Polady, who has lived in the area since fleeing Tehran in the early 1980s, was appalled by the Westminster council’s decision to spend £ 6m on a Marble Arch mound that was widely mocked and forced to close after failing. to attract visitors. “It was awful and really bad taste. i love art. I think live art is life-saving, but it was monstrous. And everyone could see that it was tasteless. “
Paul Dimoldenberg, a Labor adviser and former leader of the Westminster group, says the Marble Arch mound played a key role in his party’s victory. “It was very resonant on the doorstep. When people mentioned the low municipal tax in Westminster, we immediately managed to oppose it by saying, “The council spent £ 6 million wasting your money on that useless mound in the Marble Arch.” And they would immediately agree. “
Dimoldenberg won a symbolic victory in the Hyde Park area, formerly represented by Shirley Porter, a former Tory leader of the council who designed the campaign to demolish voting houses in the 1980s.
“It’s a very sweet victory. We turned Westminster red, something Shirley Porter tried to ensure would never happen with the policy of illegal voting homes. “We had dreams and hopes of winning Westminster, but we thought it was something that would never happen,” he said.
Camel Abdelawi: “They disappointed a lot of people.” Photo: Alicia Canter / Guardian
Kamel Abdelawi, owner of a hardware store, voted for Labor because of the cost of living crisis. “I was just disappointed with the Conservatives [over] “The cost of living,” he says. “They disappointed a lot of people. People are really struggling with money and spending it all on a mound was ridiculous.”
He added: “We are tired of the Conservative Party and how they lie in parliament. I hope Labor is doing good things here now. “
Bill Hennessy: “They’re all millionaires.” Photo: Alicia Canter / Guardian
Bill Hennessy, who runs a taxi shelter in Little Venice, sees no reason to hope. “I used to vote for Labor, but they are not doing anything for the working class. But he is even more cynical about conservatives. “They are all millionaires,” he said.
Jackie Goff, a former air steward, walking Rosie, her son’s cockatoo, said: “I hope this sends a message that conservatives should not be in government. She added: “At the local level, the conservatives were pretty good, they cleaned the canal and the prices were very reasonable. This morning I thought I bet they would go up, but we can afford to pay. And we need to spend more on services. “
Anika Kaupinen agrees. “I had never voted for Labor before,” she said. “But I’ve really changed my mind over the last few years. We have to pay teachers, doctors and nurses. I don’t mind paying more municipal tax if they spend it on services. I just think we need investment. If people lose patience, you see the rise of the far right, and that really scares me. “
Kaupinen, who works in finance, adds: “And Boris is a jester.
Annika Kaupinen: “I have never voted for Labor before.” Photo: Alicia Canter / Guardian
In Wendsworth, Margaret Thatcher’s favorite council, Thursday was the end of the Tory era.
Colin Maitland, a former librarian, says: “I’ve lived here for 45 years and it’s been Tori for 44 years. I just saw two men carrying a large sign that said: The Brighter Borough, Wandsworth.
Maitland voted for two Labor candidates and one Green. He said: “The council has not behaved as outrageously as the prime minister, but it is time for a change. I work in a food bank and poverty here is just disgraceful. People are just desperate. “
Hatcher Hagar: “People voted against the council because of Boris.” Photo: Alicia Cantor / Guardian
Hatcher Hagar, who lives in Wandsworth after moving to the United Kingdom from Turkey, voted conservative on Thursday. She said: “I am very pleased with the advice. I think they worked pretty well. But I think people voted against the council because of Boris.
However, she will not vote for a conservative in the general election. “I think Boris is a big liar and he doesn’t seem to be embarrassed by it, he just goes on as if nothing happened. She added: “He lied about Turkey’s accession to the EU, used it as a campaign to scare people.”
Lucy Tetley, an event organizer, also supported the Tories at the local level. “The Conservatives in Wandsworth have always done a great job of keeping the municipal tax low.
Lucy Tetley: “I think it’s a great shame.” Photo: Alicia Canter / Guardian
She also accuses the prime minister of losing Wansworth. “I think it’s a great shame. I think people have allowed their anger at Boris Johnson and Kovid to cloud their judgment. “
Tetley, 23, added: “Everyone in my generation says, ‘I hate Boris.’ This is a classic pub conversation. I would not vote for him in a general election. Loyalty has just broken. He’s just messed up too many times. “
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