George Galloway ally gives bloody nose to Keir Starmer in surprise by-election victory
Labour loses previous London stronghold after unexpected surge from the Left
Labour was defeated by a strong ally of George Galloway (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer has been dealt a bloody nose in a council by-election after a hard-Left candidate defeated Labour in a shock result. Theo Dennison, a former Labour councillor who left the party last year, overtook Sir Keir’s candidate with a 12.3-point surge – winning 33.5% of the vote in the Syon and Brentford Lock ward on Hounslow Council.
Labour came second with 32.8% of the vote, a five-point fall from last time. The Greens came third with 11.9%, with the Tories fourth with 8.2%. It is the latest bad news for Labour’s election prospects, with the party losing dozens of councillors since the General Election last year amid its sinking popularity.
Theo Dennison won against Labour’s candidate (Image: Hounslow Council)
Mr Dennison was a former Labour cabinet member for finance on Hounslow council and has been a well-known figure in west London politics, playing a key role in setting the local authority’s budgets.
In 2022, he quit Labour amid a local rift, before losing his previous attempt at re-election.
Following his departure from the council, he rebranded as a political consultant and played a key role in George Galloway’s stunning 2024 by-election win in Rochdale.
Mr Galloway pummelled Labour following fury from Muslim voters about the party’s stance on Israel and Gaza, securing a landslide win of 6,000 votes more than Sir Keir’s candidate.
Following his departure from Labour, Mr Dennison has lrepeatedly attacked Sir Keir, branding him a “two-faced, spineless, flip-flopper who will say anything to get elected”.
Prominent Left-winger Andrew Feinstein warned that the council by-election win shows the “shape of things to come” for Labour and the Tories
The Corbyn loyalist posted on X: “Wow, a progressive independent has won this council by-election from Labour in Hounslow with a significant swing.
“The shape of things to come as Labour and the Tories offer nothing to the vast majority of people at local and national level.”
James Giles, a Left-wing councillor in Kingston who worked for Mr Galloway and now convenes the Independent Alliance in parliament comprised of four Gaza MPs and Jeremy Corbyn, said he was “proud” to have served as Mr Dennison’s election agent.
Mr Galloway himself posted on X: “Congratulations to the new councillor for Hounslow, my former parliamentary staffer Theo Dennison! Congratulations my good friend.”
