Carl Johnson claimed to be a victim of age discrimination after election rival Chris Croft distributed leaflets which criticised him for his paucity of years. Labour candidate Johnson received 1,556 compared to Lib Dem Croft's 883.

At 19 years old, law student Carl Johnson is the youngest candidate ever to represent Tyneside’s Labour party as he fights for a seat in the Battle Hill ward. But after just weeks on the campaign trail, Carl believes he's the victim of age discrimination.