Jeremy Corbyn re-elected in Islington North after expulsion from Labour

Jeremy Corbyn has won Islington North, the constituency he has represented since 1983 – but for the first time has been elected as an independent MP.

The former leader of the opposition beat Praful Nargund, a local Labour councillor selected by the party’s executive committee as its candidate in May. Corbyn won 24,120 votes, with Nargund securing 16,873 votes. Turnout for the election was 67.5%, down from 71.6% in 2019.

In his victory speech, Corbyn said he had fought a “positive campaign”. The political system must produce answers for social problems, he said, adding that demonising asylum seekers was not the answer. He said he was proud of his constituency for standing up for a “kinder, gentler, more inclusive politics”.

Corbyn added: “I couldn’t be more proud of my constituency than I am tonight and proud of our team that brought this result. Thank you very much Islington North for the result we have achieved tonight.”

The announcement of Nargund’s result in the election was interrupted by a heckler saying “unlucky mate”, with one Labour supporter responding: “What’s wrong with you?”

Corbyn, 75, told reporters it had been a “very interesting night in the political history of this country” and he was “looking forward to being part of that history”.

Asked whether Keir Starmer would make a good prime minister, Corbyn said: “Well, let’s see what happens. He will become prime minister, he will have a very large majority in parliament, he has put forward a manifesto that is thin to put it mildly and doesn’t offer a serious economic alternative to what the Conservative government is doing. And so the demands on him are going to be huge, the demands from the people are going to be huge.