LABOUR'S Brent North campaign was “gruelling” but signs are “very positive”, the party's candidate says.

Barry Gardiner is defending a majority of more than 5,600 with Tory Harshadbhai Patel representing his most dangerous opposition.

But his campaign team already claim they have won it after watching the counters verify the ballot papers.

Mr Gardiner said: “I'm feeling very good. I'll wait until the final count is in but at the moment things are looking very positive in Brent North.

“I'm very happy. It's been a much more gruelling campaign in many respects. It was a campaign where for the first time in a long time the party nationally was coming from behind.

“I pay tribute to Harshadbhai Patel because he's an excellent local candidate who many people in the community quite rightly have a great deal of respect for.”

Mr Gardiner also went up against two independent candidates as well as Lib Dem, Green, UKIP and English Democrat politicians.

Mr Patel said: “I'm feeling very well. I think I will win. It looks like it's going well at the moment. Obviously unless and until the last vote is counted we don't know what's going to happen.

“Looking at the ballot papers it seems I will win. It was a fantastic campaign, the most important thing was that I did what I did in just eight weeks.”