Labour councillors quit with broadside at Starmer

A group of Labour councillors has quit the party, hitting out at Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Some 20 members of the party’s group on Broxtowe Borough Council, including leader Milan Radulovic, claimed Sir Keir had “abandoned traditional Labour values”.

The councillors highlighted issues including the means-testing of winter fuel payments, the “betrayal” of Waspi women affected by changes to the state pension age and the response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“It is with a heavy heart that we can no longer be in a party that has abandoned traditional Labour values under Keir Starmer’s leadership,” the group said.

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“From the cutting of the winter fuel allowance for 11 million pensioners, to the retention of the two-child benefit cap for struggling families, the increase in bus fares across our towns and cities, the betrayal of Waspi women pensioners to a tepid response to the genocide in Gaza, we say this is not the Labour Party we campaigned for.

“Nor is it the Labour Party that Keir Starmer promised.

“The public were told to vote for change and all they got was more of the same – attacking the most vulnerable, to protect the interests of the rich and powerful.”

The 20 councillors will form a breakaway Broxtowe Independents group.

In a statement announcing the decision, they said a county councillor and 100 members were also leaving Labour.

It follows months of public disagreement between Labour activists in Broxtowe and the party hierarchy, including a row over the selection process for the party’s candidates at the general election and the forthcoming county council contest.

The councillors claimed 10 of them had been “callously” blocked from standing for Labour May’s local elections for Nottinghamshire County Council after questioning the winter fuel policy.

The party has insisted the selection process followed the normal format.

In 2023, the executive committee of the constituency Labour Party resigned, claiming Labour’s national executive committee had blocked local councillor Greg Marshall from standing in the Broxtowe seat.

The constituency was won by Labour’s Juliet Campbell in the July 2024 landslide.

Broxtowe’s remaining Labour councillors said in a statement: “It is incredibly disappointing that some Broxtowe councillors have decided to leave the Labour Party and sit as independents when they were elected on a Labour ticket just over 18 months ago.

“These defections have no effect on the commitment of the remaining Labour councillors in serving our residents.

“We, together with our Labour colleagues including MPs Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, will continue to work to make Broxtowe a healthier, greener, safer and more prosperous place for everyone as change begins under this Labour government.”