Who are the new members of the London Assembly?

Although none of the 14 constituency seats changed hands between parties, seven of the Assembly members in these seats stood down or retired before the election, with new candidates taking their place.

There were also five new Assembly members elected to the London-wide seats who will join the re-elected Sian Berry, Caroline Pidgeon, Caroline Russell, Shaun Bailey, Andrew Boff and Susan Hall.

Joining returning constituency members Tony Devenish, Onkar Sahota, Keith Prince, Len Duvall, Leonie Cooper, Joanne McCartney and Unmesh Desai are the following new constituency Assembly members:

Marina Ahmad – Lambeth & Southwark – Labour

With Florence Eshalomi standing down from the London Assembly before the election to focus on her duties as an MP, Marina Ahmad was selected to run in the Lambeth & Southwark constituency.

Before being selected to run as an Assembly member, Ms Ahmad was a councillor representing the Crystal Palace ward on Bromley Council where she was her party’s spokesperson for education.

Ms Ahmad has previously spoken out about the controversial Silvertown Tunnel project, saying via social media last year that she would ask the Mayor of London to “pause and review” the project if elected to the Assembly.

Anne Clarke – Barnet & Camden – Labour

American-born Anne Clarke was selected to take the place of Andrew Dismore, who retired ahead of the election.

Ms Clarke had been a councillor since 2018, representing the Child’s Hill ward on Barnet Council.

Before becoming a councillor, Ms Clarke had campaigned on several local issues and is one of the founders of the Child’s Hill food bank.

The new Assembly member has pledged to work with TfL to ensure more accessible travel and to expand the mayor’s tree planting program in Barnet and Camden.

Peter Fortune – Bexley & Bromley – Conservative

Joining the London Assembly as the City Hall Conservative group’s new deputy leader is Peter Fortune, who will replace MP Gareth Bacon.

A Bromley councillor for 10 years, Mr Fortune has served as deputy leader since 2017 and has overseen the children, education and families portfolio since 2015.

Mr Fortune has pledged to fight any attempts to develop on London’s green belt, and has said he will “press” TfL to improve bus services in Bexley and Bromley.

Neil Garratt – Croydon & Sutton – Conservative

Sutton councillor Neil Garratt will take over from the retired Steve O’Connell to represent the Croydon & Sutton constituency in the London Assembly.

Housing was a key focus of Mr Garratt’s campaign, and he has pledged to save family-sized houses in the boroughs and fight the development of small one and two-bedroom flats.

Mr Garratt has also said he is “determined” to get answers over the fatal Croydon tram crash of 2016 which killed seven people, so that “the deeper problems are sorted, not ignored”.

Krupesh Hirani – Brent & Harrow – Labour

A Brent councillor since 2010, Krupesh Hirani was selected to take over from Navin Shah, who retired before the election.

Mr Hirani has said that his “immediate priority” will be jobs and London’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, though he has also pledged to carry out an audit to ensure an adequate police presence in Brent and Harrow.

Having pledged to be a “champion for young people” during his campaign, Mr Hirani has also said he will set up a young people’s steering group to give them a voice in City Hall and allow them to take their issues to the Mayor of London.

Sem Moema – North East – Labour

Hackney councillor Sem Moema was selected to replace Jennette Arnold, who retired before the election having served on the Assembly for 21 years and in the North East constituency for 17 years.

Now representing Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, Ms Moema has pledged to stand up for migrant communities and work to improve renters’ rights.

Ms Moema has said that the London Assembly should help councils to build council homes, in part by maximising funding and releasing the GLA’s surplus land.

Nicholas Rogers – South West – Conservative

Following the retirement of Tony Arbour, who held the South West constituency since the Assembly’s formation, Nicholas Rogers was chosen to run for the seat by the Conservatives.

Unlike the other newly elected constituency Assembly members, Mr Rogers has not come from a council background, having been a special constable for the Metropolitan Police as well as a career railway worker.

The new Assembly member is also the founder of TedxKingstonUponThames, a Ted Talks style series of events that gives a platform to locals.

A former TfL employee, Mr Rogers is keen to challenge Sadiq Khan on transport and has called for the Crossrail 2 project to begin, which would connect south west London and Surrey with parts of Hertfordshire.

In addition to the seven new constituency members, five of the London-wide Assembly members elected over the weekend will be new additions to the Assembly.

Elly Baker – Labour

A trade unionist and activist for more than 20 years, Elly Baker was first on Labour’s list of London-wide candidates this election.

Ms Baker has been a London regional representative on Labour’s National Policy Forum and a national organiser for the National Education Union.

Emma Best – Conservative

Emma Best is a councillor for the Endlebury Ward in Waltham Forest who works in children’s services.

Having finished third in the London Assembly North East constituency election, Ms Best was elected to the Assembly as the fourth member on the Conservative party’s London-wide list.

Ms Best has campaigned for early intervention to prevent young people from getting involved in violent crime.

Hina Bokhari – Liberal Democrat

Joining the re-elected Caroline Pidgeon as the second Liberal Democrat on the London Assembly is Merton councillor Hina Bokhari.

A teacher of 20 years, Ms Bokhari has stood on a platform of giving younger people a voice, reducing knife crime and tackling the climate emergency.

Ms Bokhari only entered politics in 2017, joining the Liberal Democrats before standing as a candidate in the 2019 General Election for the Sutton and Cheam constituency.

Zack Polanski – Green

Zack Polanski will join Sian Berry and Caroline Russell as the third representative of the Green Party to sit on the London Assembly.

Mr Polanski has been an activist and campaigner on various issues across London and has been a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.

Having been a candidate in the 2019 General Election, finishing third in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency, Mr Polanski this year finished third in the West Central London Assembly constituency and was elected as the third member of the Green Party’s London-wide list.

Sakina Sheikh – Labour

Lewisham councillor Sakina Sheikh was elected to the London Assembly as the second member on Labour’s London-wide list.

A self-proclaimed climate justice campaigner, Ms Sheikh has said “we need politicians who stand up to developers, oil companies and the finance industry” and has demanded “fearless leadership from City Hall” to tackle homelessness in London.

Ms Sheikh has said she will be “unequivocal” in her commitment to “redistribute power and resources back to the people”.