THE Tory candidate in a Kenton by election snatched victory by more than 150 votes last night.

Suresh Kansagra returns to Brent Council as the ward's new councillor with 1,063 votes, fending off competition from Labour's Ellie May Southward, who raked in 907.

The pair were head and shoulders above rivals, with independent Robert Dunwell coming third with 185, Lib Dem Chunilal Hirani in fourth with 179 and the Green Party's Alan Mathison attracting 75 votes.

Cllr Kansagra was a long-serving member for Barnhill before being ousted in the last election by a wave of Labour support.

The by-election was called following the death or Arthur Steel at St Luke's Hospice, in Kenton, on New Year's Day, after losing his battle with cancer.