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keir starmer It has suffered a major blow after five Labor councilors in London announced their defection. green Party.
London is set to be a major battleground in next year’s crucial local elections, Green leader Jack Polanski has welcomed five Labor councilors from Brent to join its party.
It comes amid concerns the Greens could take control Labor The councils could also decide the fate of Sir Keir’s prime ministership in elections next year.
Mr Polanski claimed the move by the five defectors “reflects what we are hearing across the country”.
earlier he told Independent He is also talking to potential defectors among Labor MPs.
Councils at risk include Camden, which covers Sir Keir’s own constituency.
The five Brent councilors who defected from Labor include a former cabinet member, Harbi Farah, and a former whip, Iman Ahmadi-Moghadam.
He is joined by Mary Mitchell, Tony Athapemi and Erica Gbajumo in moving to the Greens.
With concerns that the Prime Minister could be removed after a briefing by Downing Street sources against Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a heavy defeat in May could be the end of his Prime Ministership.
Those believed to be eyeing the Labor leadership include Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
The Labor defections to the Greens come as party membership has swelled to more than 180,000, up from around 70,000 when Mr Polanski was elected leader in September.
The Green Party has recently seen a number of defections from Labor across London, but not in such large blocs.
Mr Polanski claimed that “the green wave has expanded into London”.
He added: “What we are seeing in Brent is what we are hearing on the doors and in the polls across the country.
“Good Labor councilors can see that Labor has abandoned any sense of progressive politics and are showing complete cowardice in their disastrous attempt to defeat reform with the politics of division and scapegoating.
“Increasingly, people are finding the alternative they need by joining the Green Party and working for a better world built on hope rather than fear.
“In the elections in May, it is the Greens who will be fighting for reform and we show our intention today in Brent.
“This is just the beginning.”
The Greens’ defection from Labor mirrors a similar political phenomenon on the right of politics, where Conservative councilors and former MPs have joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
In polls, Labor enjoys an average of 20 per cent support after just 18 months in power, while Reform has gained around 30 per cent and the Greens around 12 per cent.