Hounslow Liberal Democrats achieve best results since WW2 - Dakers & Khalsa

8.33.29pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 6th May 2005

Andrew Dakers' post-results speech at around 6am, Friday 6th May

This morning Andrew Dakers (Brentford & Isleworth) and Satnam Kaur Khalsa (Feltham & Heston) celebrated the party's best results in Hounslow since WW2. In Brentford & Isleworth Dakers achieved a 9.3% swing and in Feltham & Heston Khalsa achieved a 2.8% swing. Dakers polled 10,477 votes and Khalsa 6,177.

For the full results see:

Brentford & Isleworth - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/vote2005/html/90.stm

Feltham & Heston - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/vote2005/html/251.stm

Dakers said:

Satnam Kaur Khalsa's post-results speech at around 5am, Friday 6th May

"This is a phenomenal result for us in Brentford & Isleworth. The 9.3% swing shows people are increasingly recognising us as the real alternative in Hounslow. Meanwhile the Tories are flat-lining here as in the rest of the country. With this rate of growth we will be serious challengers to Labour in next year's local elections, as well as the next parliamentary elections. There are many areas where we can leapfrog the Tories and win. We look forward to the battle ahead and arguing the case for our many innovative policy proposals.

In his speech after the results were called Dakers said:

"The Liberal Democrats are here to stay in Hounslow and have strengthened our foundations during this campaign. We will go on working in our local communities, fighting for local services, day-in, day-out.

"I do hope that in her next term Ann Keen will build on her advocacy of the Make Poverty History campaign, by lobbying within the Labour party for the UK to back a just framework for the next international climate change treaty. This is now urgent and - as proposed by the Global Commons Institute - must be designed on an equitable basis.

After thanking his campaign team he added:

"…most crucially, thank you to those that voted for me and the Liberal Democrats this time. With your continued support I promise we will be back, bigger and stronger than ever before at the next election."

Commenting on the election Khalsa said:

"In the months and years to come Hounslow Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for our policies, which have won widespread support during the campaign. We have fought the campaign on a commitment to: scrap tuition fees for students; scrap the unfair council tax; and put the environment at the heart of government.

"At a time when many are struggling with enormous debt burdens and global warming has been acknowledged as a greater threat to our survival than terrorism, this is a campaign of which we can be proud. We have appealed to people's hopes for the future, not their fears. Thank you to everyone that voted for me and the Liberal Democrats. Three-party politics is here to stay in Feltham & Heston."