Labour has won a historic and sensational victory in Kensington , with Emma Dent Coad declared the winner after three counts.

She won by the slenderest of margins, just 20 votes, defeating the Conservative incumbent, Lady Victoria Borwick.

The seat, the last to be declared in the 2017 General Election , was called at around 9pm after counting resumed at Kensington Town Hall at 6pm.

Counting had been suspended shortly before 8am on Friday (June 9) after the third recount was requested, after Labour won the first two counts

Ms Dent Coad, a Kensington and Chelsea councillor, had earlier spoken of her frustration to getwestlondon .

Labour Cllr Emma Dent-Coad
Cllr Emma Dent Coad is now a Labour MP

She said: “It is frustrating, particularly as I won the first round, I won the first count, which was challenged, and I won the second count, which was then challenged, and then we started a third count, and then they suspended it.”

The Labour candidate explained it was not clear what had gone wrong at the count.

Returning officer Tony Redpath said counters were exhausted, saying: “At this stage staff had been up all night and were becoming visibly tired. In order to have confidence in its accuracy, the recount has been suspended to allow staff to rest and recuperate .

Ms Dent Coad said she was optimistic about the result, adding: “I am hopeful that we get proper representation at last, all our communities in Kensington, not just certain communities, everybody should be properly represented.”

One journalist had tipped the shock gain in the early hours of Friday morning, just hours after polling stations had closed.

General Election 2017

But at the time Labour sources played down its chances, saying was “probably not in play” .

The Tories have won Kensington and its preceding seat Kensington & Chelsea in every previous General Election.

Kensington result

Emma Dent Coad (Lab) 16,333

Victoria Borwick (Con) 16,313

Annabel Mullin (LD) 4,724

Jennifer Nadel (Green) 767

James Torrance (Ind) 393

Peter Marshall (Ind) 98

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