[Locke.]

For all his exuberant mannerisms, superfluous rhetoric and apathetic attitude towards voting, it appears Russell Brand has scored his first big campaign win.

The US investors who planned to evict scores of families from the New Era estate in East London so that they could build an up-market development there are on the verge of selling up and moving on.

And the buyer they are thinking of taking up? An affordable housing provider.

Westbrook Partners are thought to be close to sealing the deal with London’s deputy mayor, Richard Blakeway, and the elected mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe, after negotiation talks this week, the Guardian has reported.

City Hall apparently expects the transfer to be complete before Christmas.

The news follows a vocal campaign by Brand and the residents of the New Era estate, that included multiple street demonstrations, a petition signed by thousands and a march on Downing Street that ended with this rant at a Channel 4 News presenter going viral:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...=facebook-post

Russell for Prime-minister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!