‘I’ll talk to work on Monday’: what happens when a ‘paper candidate’ actually wins
Summary
In local elections, some candidates who were not expected to win, called "paper candidates," have secured unexpected victories. The Green party notably won control of Hackney council in London for the first time since 2002, with longtime party member Tyrone Scott among the surprise winners.Key Facts
- A "paper candidate" is someone who runs with little chance of winning, just to have the party's name on the ballot.
- Reform UK contacted many people, even strangers, asking them to be candidates in local elections.
- In Hackney, the Green party won a majority on the council, taking 42 out of 57 seats.
- Zoë Garbett became Hackney’s first Green mayor, ending Labour’s 24-year control of the council.
- Tyrone Scott, a Green party member for 12 years, unexpectedly won a council seat in Hackney Wick.
- Scott runs an anti-poverty charity and had told his employer he was unlikely to be elected.
- Some unexpected winners, like a Green councillor in Camden, have had to quit due to rules about holding certain jobs.
- The election results show a shift in local political power away from traditional parties.
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