Labour's Hampstead candidate woken in time to celebrate unexpected victory.
Hundreds of people crammed into a leisure centre until the early hours of the morning - election counts could hardly be more of a recipe for drama, tension and surprise. We've gathered together some of the more unexpected moments from contests all over the country.In Southend, a row about a single ballot paper with "something defamatory about the leader of the opposition" led to the police being called over to keep the peace - and ended up deciding an election.
Labour hadn't won a council seat in well-heeled Hampstead Town for 50 years and so high-flying lawyer Adrian Cohen might have expected that he was only making up the numbers. It was only natural for him to go home for an early night - until the votes started to roll in. Camden New Journal editor Richard Oseley, who was on the scene, said
when it looked like he might be heading for election - in a seat where he hadn't even campaigned. He arrived to loud cheers, which only got louder when he secured the historic win.Adrian Cohen, pictured with fellow ward candidate Alexandra Sufit, was woken in time to celebrate victoryAfter a decade of Labour rule at Hull Council, leader Darren Hale clearly found that defeat at the hands of the Liberal Democrats was a heavy blow.
The first council to declare a result overnight was Halton Borough Council in Cheshire, which managed a speedy count despite the closest possible finish in its Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor ward. Labour and the Conservatives finished in a dead heat with 398 votes each, meaning they had to decide the winner by drawing lots - or more precisely their names each went into separate sealed envelopes and Mr Ramsden's envelope was picked first.
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