Three Ealing Council wards could hold by-elections by the end of the year after councillors Callum Anderson, Deirdre Costigan and Gregory Stafford were elected MPs in the recent General Election (4 July 2024).
Labour’s Callum Anderson, a South Acton councillor, won Buckingham & Bletchley while Northolt Mandeville Labour councillor and deputy leader of Ealing Council Deirdre Costigan won Ealing Southall.
Conservative Gregory Stafford who represents the Hanger Hill ward won Farnham & Bordon.
It was third time lucky to become an MP for Mr Anderson. In the 2019 General Election he stood for Labour in South West Bedfordshire where he came second while in 2022 he stood to be selected as the Labour candidate for Stevenage but wasn’t shortlisted.
While there is nothing stopping a councillor from holding on to their ward seat and be an MP at the same time, many will stand down to focus on their Parliamentary career.
In the December 2019 General Election, Councillor Stafford’s brother Alexander Stafford become Conservative MP for Rother Valley and remained an Ealing Broadway councillor until 1 April 2020 while fellow Conservative Joy Morrissey became MP for Beaconsfield and remained Hanger Hill councillor until 1 April 2020.
