WALTHAMSTOW ELECTION 2010 LIVE

7.48am Stella Creasy has been elected as MP for Walthamstow, winning with 21,252 votes.

There was no change to the positions of the other two main parties, with Liberal Democrat Farid Ahmed in second place with 11,774 votes, and Conservative Andy Hemsted in third with 5,734 votes.

Ms Creasy said she looks forward to representing the people of Walthamstow over the coming years.

5:24am

Turnout for Leyton and Wanstead is 40,150, which is 63.19 per cent of the electorate.

Count for Leyton and Wanstead due to start now.

05:04am

The turnout for Walthamstow was 41,004, which is 63.4 per cent of the electorate.

The turnout for each ward in Walthamstow are as follows: Wood Street (61.5 per cent); High Street (58.7 per cent); William Morris (60.4 per cent); Markhouse (56.7 per cent), Hoe Street (58.9 per cent); Lea Bridge (53 per cent); Chapel End (60.1 per cent) and Higham Hill (66.5 per cent).

4.47am

Turnout for Chingford and Woodfrod Green is announced as 67 per cent. This is slightly up on the last general election which saw a 63 per cent turnout.

4:41am

Conservatives take lead nationally with 203 seats to Labour's 153.

4:30am

Count for Walthamstow started.

4.29am

We have just been informed that the count for Chingford and Woodford Green is starting NOW. Up until now ballot papers were still being verified.

The suggestion is that the results will be delayed as counts have not started for Walthamstow or Leyton and Wanstead.

3:20am

A good turnout means the count is delayed. Results are expected to be declared at about 6am.

03:15am

219 declared nationally. Conservatives gained 20, whereas Labour have lost 19.

2:55am

The count rolls on at a slow but methodical pace. Many of the candidates and their supporters have left the hall to watch the action elswhere on television, except for little pockets of councillors loitering, including Cllr Afzal Akram and Cllr Masood Ahmad taking notes and conferring.

2:32am

121 of 650 constituencies declared already. Labour lost 11, Conservatives gained 12, so far.

2:23am

Just found out the count hasn't started yet. The ballot papers are still being verified. Once this is complete, the turnout for the election is expected to be announced.

2:21am

Pounding the streets must be taking its toll as I bumped into Stella Creasy desperately looking for somewhere to sit in the 'Antler Bar' where many of local councillors, candidates and supporters are huddled around a television watching the results come in from around the country.

The Labour candidate said: “It has been an amazing campaign and I have had lots of support and interest in issues. You never take the support for granted.

“I recognise you don't achieve change on your own but only when people come together. You have to get people to want to be part of things and Neil Gerrard has been a great example of leading local and national issues.”

1.33am

Gordon Brown retains his seat with an increased majority.

1:18

Twenty seats nationally already declared. Sunderland with enviable speed was the first to declare, retaining its Labour seat. Walthamstow's counters already finding it hard to stifle yawns and a lot of boxes still unopened. It looks like it will be a long night. David Blunkett is the first senior Labour MP to concede that his party has lost the election.

1:06

Farid Ahmed and his merry band of Lib Dem supporters are on the count floor, furiously trying to monitor the votes in his favour.

I meanwhile, am up in the gods in the vastly empty public gallery a little removed from the action, for legal reasons the press has been told.

1:03am

Labour candidate Stella Creasy has arrived. The lady in red has been chatting to Chingford and Woodford Green Conservative candidate Iain Duncan Smith - smiles all round.

12:57am

Trade Union and Socialist candidate and local activist, Nancy Taaffe, said the council has been stifling the socialists' campaign because of not being able to put posters up.

But the positive outcome of this, she says, is that her campaign has been fought more face to face with the electorate at local hustings events, including one organised by the Trade's Council where she was well received.

Despite this, she said she's realistic and doesn't expect to increase her following much on the 2.1 per cent votes received in 2005.

She said: “From what I can see I think there's a fear of the Tories. I think people have come out at the last minute and people are voting Labour because they believe Labour will protect them. But they will be seriously disappointed because of the cuts.”

12:36am

Rumours that voters in Hackney South were turned away an hour before the polling station was due to close. Oh dear. It appears a national scandal could be emerging, with the possiblity of legal challenges to many results. Jenny Watson of the Electoral Commission blaming "the system". No reports of problems in Walthamstow, thankfully.

12:31am

The youngest candidate in Walthamstow, 22-year-old Daniel Perrett for the Green Party said the campaign has been a new but enjoyable experience.

He said: “This is my first time standing in the general election. It has been a really good experience.

“We think we will get at least five per cent.”

12:07am

The Lib Dem candidate is feeling confident he can produce an even bigger swing this year in what he describes as a hard Labour seat.

Farid Ahmed said: “We had a good swing in 2005 , we got good results then. To turn a very hard Labour seat is very difficult to achieve in one go, or even two, you just have to eat away at the majority gradually.

“But I am hoping this year to cut it down further more.”

Mr Ahmed said it has been a busy campaign for the Lib Dems and many of the electorate have expressed a desire for change but have a “fear” of not knowing what change might bring.

It sounds like Stella Creasy can relax and enjoy the night.

10:43pm

After 18 years as Labour MP for Walthamstow, Neil Gerrard MP is stepping down to retire.

At the last general election in 2005, Neil Gerrard received 50 per cent of the votes and won the seat by a majority of 7,993.

In 2005, Lib Dem candidate Farid Ahmed came in second with a respectable 27.1 per cent of votes, but would need almost double that to unseat Labour.

Mr Gerrard's successor is Labour's parliamentary candidate and former local councillor Stella Creasy.

This year's new candidates include local councillor Andrew Hemsted for the Conservatives and Judith Benli for UKIP.

The Green Party also have a candidate at this election, Daniel Perrett.

Nancy Taafe is standing for the newly formed Trade Union and Socialists, and stood in 2005 for the Socialist Alternative.

At the last elections, the Conservative candidate won 18.2 per cent of votes; UKIP got 2.4 per cent, and the Socialist party candidate 2.1 per cent.

10:30pm

The first ballot boxes have been brought into the Assembly Hall as the preparations begin for the count of parliamentary votes for Walthamstow constituency.

There's a flurry of activity as the ballot papers are verified by row upon row of council workers and volunteers to ensure the contents of each ballot box is counted and matched against the presiding officer's ballot paper account.

Following that, the ballot papers will be sorted into votes for each candidate.

Papers where the mark on the ballot paper is unclear or those that cannot be accepted will be removed.

Then the counting will begin. Results are expected to be announced between 4-5am.