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9 June 2017updated 12 Jun 2017 8:11am

Labour wins Kensington – UK’s richest constituency – for first time

Emma Dent Coad took a west London seat where houses sell for millions with a majority of just 20 votes.

By Julia Rampen

Labour has ended its election haul in style – with a local councillor winning the traditionally Conservative constituency of Kensington.

Emma Dent Coad won with a majority of 20, after a recount, and delays due to the fatigue of the tellers. She unseated the incumbent Conservative Victoria Borwick.

The local councillor’s new constituency is part of the Kensington and Chelsea neighbourhood, in which terraced houses sell for an average £4.3m and a semi-detached house for more than £6.5m. It was the UK’s richest constituency in 2016, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

However, as well as being home to millionaires, Kensington also has social housing. It is also a cosmopolitan part of London, where residents voted 68 per cent in favour of staying in the EU, and home to the Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of London’s West Indian community.

Dent Coad took the seat with a 0.5 per cent swing away from Borwick, a public supporter of Brexit.

The result for Kensington means every seat in the election has been counted. In the final tally, the Conservatives have 318 seats, Labour 262, the SNP 35, the Lib Dems 12, the Democratic Unionist Party 10, and others 13.

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