Results give rough guide to revised Commons seats

12 May 2006

THE shock local election results around Kilburn could provide an insight into the future representation of the area in the House of Commons, writes Paul Keilthy.

In 2009, the current parliamentary constituencies will change under a boundary commission review, phasing out the current Brent East and Brent South and creating two new constituencies, Brent Central and the cross-borough Hampstead and Kilburn.

While both constituencies are nominally Labour by extrapolation from previous General Election returns, Friday's poll results suggest a dramatic shift in support towards the Liberal Democrats.

The Hampstead and Kilburn constituency will incorporate Brondesbury Park, Kilburn and Queen's Park wards from Brent with seven Camden wards: Belsize, Fortune Green, Frognal and Fitzjohns, Hampstead Town, Kilburn, Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead.

If the electorate voted as they did last week, the Lib Dems would collect 40.8 per cent of the vote, the Conservatives 33.6 per cent, and Labour just 25.6 per cent.

The Brent Central constituency would resemble the existing Brent South but incorporate Willesden Green, Mapesbury, Dudden Hill and Dollis Hill while losing Wembley and Alperton to Brent North.

If the local election results were extrapolated it would remain solidly Labour at 44 per cent, with Lib Dems second on 32 per cent.

The Conservatives can look forward to a return to the newly drawn Brent North constituency, currently held by Labour's Barry Gardner MP.