Labour causes two byelections

4.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 8th Jul 2010

Sarah Ludford campaigning with Barking byelection candidate Felicia Taiwo.

Two byelections in London have been caused by Labour originally putting up candidates who were not qualified to run for council, so they were later dismissed and the elections rerun at great expense to the taxpayer.

In Chadwell ward in Redbridge, the Labour councillor had to resign upon being elected in May because he was a teacher at Wanstead High School. And it's the same story in Goresbrook ward in Barking and Dagenham, where the Labour candidate was also employed by the Council and so had to give up her seat on the Council.

Sarah campainging with candidate John Tyne and local activists in Chadwell ward in Redbridge.

Sarah Ludford said: "The Labour party should know better. It is hopeless and irresponsible of them to put forward candidates who are ineligible to run for council. These byelections have cost London taxpayers thousands of pounds, all precious local government funds that could have been spent on roads, schools and social services."