Candidates Declared for Cranford By-election
Labour's performance in its safest seat seen as key test
Five people are seeking to become councillor for the ward.
August 1, 2025
The full list of candidates has been declared for the Cranford by-election due to take place later this month.
Called following the death of Sukhbir Singh Dhaliwal, the vote on Thursday 21 August, is seen as a key test for Hounslow’s Labour administration.
Some local political observers believe a relatively poor performance could accelerate the widely rumoured challenge to the leadership of Cllr Shantanu Rajawat. Candidate selection ahead of next May's local election is believed to have caused significant splits within the party.
Labour candidates at the local elections in 2022 polled over 60% of the vote for all three seats making it notionally the safest ward in the borough.
Traditionally the Conservatives have come second in the ward getting around 20-30% of the vote but there could be strong challenges from both the Greens and Reform UK this time out.
Turnout in the ward tends to be below the borough average often at just 30-35% and, with by-elections typically seeing a smaller proportion of the electorate turn out, results can be swung by a relatively small number of votes.
Five candidates have been officially nominated:
Candidate |
Party |
Hira Singh Dhillon |
Labour Party |
Miruna Leitoiu |
Liberal Democrats |
Gurpreet Singh Sidhu |
Conservative Party |
Khushwant Singh |
Reform UK |
Gurpal Singh Virdi |
Green Party |
- Registration deadline: Midnight, Tuesday 5 August
- Postal vote deadline: Wednesday 6 August, 5pm
- Proxy vote deadline: Wednesday 13 August, 5pm
- Polling day: Thursday 21 August, 7am–10pm
- Photo ID required at polling stations
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