Carol Caruana becomes the first Liberal Democrat to be elected to the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

In a political earthquake, Carol won more votes than the Conservatives and Labour combined.

Kensington & Chelsea council had been a ‘two party state’ for far longer than the modern Liberal Democrat party has existed. That all changed on Wednesday 22 July as Carol deprived Labour of one of their former strongholds, storming to victory with 634 votes in Colville ward in Notting Hill. The Conservatives were second with 330 and Labour in third place with 300 votes.

“Colville ward is a stunningly exciting place; how could it not be with somewhere as iconic as Portobello Road? A place like this demands councillors who believe in local communities and listen to the concerns of both traders and residents. That is how the Liberal Democrats have built their success in local government across the country and I want to offer that here,” said the victorious Carol Caruana.

A full breakdown of the results:

Carol Caruana, Liberal Democrats – 634
Samia Bentayeb, Conservatives – 330
Amir Akhrif, Labour – 300
Melan Ebrahimi-Fardouee, Green – 77
Elsa Chagas, Independent – 10