Tory Brian Coleman loses seat to Labour

Controversial Tory councillor Brian Coleman was today dramatically removed from his London Assembly seat after losing a 20,000 vote majority.

The chairman of the London Fire Authority, who is also one of the highest paid Tory councillors in the country, was defeated by Labour's Andrew Dismore.

Mr Coleman saw his majority of nearly 20,000 in the Barnet & Camden constituency disappear after a determined campaign to remove him, finishing with 20,000 votes less than his rival.

The former mayor of Barnet has attracted controversy in his career, including in 2009 when he was forced to reveal details of his expenses after initially refusing to do so.

The same year he was found to have broken Barnet council's code of conduct after a committee ruled that he had failed to treat a blogger "with respect".

He came under fire this year for getting a free councillor's parking permit despite Tory-run Barnet council introducing a series of extra charges for motorists.

Mr Coleman refused to speak to the media as he entered the counting hall at Alexandra Palace today with his elderly mother Gladys. He shook hands with Mr Dismore before speaking with his supporters.

Mr Dismore, who was cheered by Labour supporters as he entered the building, said he was "really pleased" at the result. He said: "The swing is much better than I thought it was going to be.

He said: "I haven't seen Brian Coleman for days, the last time I saw him was when I saw a video of him in a shop. There are some reasons for this win in Barnet and some in Camden."

Speaking after his win, he said his victory was a "bloody nose to the out of touch Liberal Democrat and Conservative Government".