Broxtowe councillors resign from Labour Party condemning Sir Keir Starmer's leadership

A group of Labour councillors in Broxtowe have announced their resignation from the party, sharply criticising Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Around 20 members of the Broxtowe Borough Council Labour group, including council leader Milan Radulovic, accused Starmer of abandoning core Labour values.

They pointed to several issues, such as the means-testing of winter fuel payments, the handling of the Waspi women's state pension age changes, and Labour's response to Israel's actions in Gaza.

"It is with a heavy heart that we can no longer remain in a party that has discarded traditional Labour values under Keir Starmer’s leadership," the group said in a statement.

"From cutting the winter fuel allowance for 11 million pensioners to keeping the two-child benefit cap for struggling families, increasing bus fares across towns and cities, betraying Waspi women pensioners, and offering a weak response to the genocide in Gaza, this is not the Labour Party we once campaigned for. It is not the party that Keir Starmer promised.

"The public were told to vote for change, but what they got was more of the same—attacking the most vulnerable to protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful."

The councillors, who will now form a new group called the Broxtowe Independents, also announced that a county councillor and around 100 members were leaving the party.

This move comes after months of tension between Labour activists in Broxtowe and the party’s national leadership. Disagreements included the selection process for candidates in both the upcoming general election and the county council elections.

The councillors claimed 10 of their members were “callously” blocked from standing for Labour in May’s local elections for Nottinghamshire County Council after voicing opposition to the winter fuel policy.

Labour, however, maintains that the selection process followed the usual procedures.

In 2023, the constituency Labour Party's executive committee resigned, accusing the national executive committee of blocking local councillor Greg Marshall from standing in Broxtowe.

Labour’s Juliet Campbell ultimately won the Broxtowe seat in the 2024 general election landslide.

Remaining Labour councillors in Broxtowe expressed disappointment over the defections. In a statement, they said: “It is incredibly disappointing that some councillors elected on a Labour ticket just 18 months ago have now chosen to sit as independents".

"However, these departures do not affect our commitment to serving the residents of Broxtowe.

"Together with our Labour colleagues, including MPs Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, we will continue working to make Broxtowe a healthier, greener, safer, and more prosperous place for all as change continues under this Labour government."

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