Keir Starmer has been dealt a political setback after five Labour councillors in London announced they are defecting to the Green Party, as pressure mounts ahead of next year’s local elections.
The councillors, all from Brent Council, were welcomed by Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski, who said the move underlined growing dissatisfaction with Labour’s direction in the capital. London is expected to be a key battleground in the 2026 local elections, with several Labour-held councils now seen as vulnerable.
Polanski said the defections “mirror what we’re hearing across the country”, adding that the Greens are in talks with other potential defectors, including Labour MPs. One of the councils thought to be under threat is Camden, which includes Sir Keir’s own constituency.
Those leaving Labour include former cabinet member Harbi Farah and former whip Iman Ahmadi-Moghaddam, alongside councillors Mary Mitchell, Tony Ethapemi and Erica Gbajumo.
The development comes amid wider speculation about Labour’s stability, with Downing Street recently briefing against health secretary Wes Streeting and senior figures warning that a poor showing in May could put Sir Keir’s leadership under serious strain. Figures such as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and energy secretary Ed Miliband have been mentioned as potential future leadership contenders.
The defections also coincide with rapid growth in Green Party membership, which has risen to more than 180,000, compared with around 70,000 when Polanski was elected leader in September. While Labour councillors have defected to the Greens before, the party says it is rare to see such a large group move at once.
Polanski said the move showed that the “Green surge has just widened in London”.
“What we’re witnessing in Brent mirrors what we’re hearing across the country on doorsteps and in polls,” he said. “Good Labour councillors can see Labour has abandoned any sense of progressive politics and is showing absolute cowardice in its doomed attempt to out-Reform 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 shaped by hope rather than fear.
“In the elections in May, it is the Greens who will be taking the fight to Reform and we show our intent today in Brent. This is just the start.”
The shift reflects a broader realignment in British politics, with Labour losing support to the Greens on the left, while Conservative councillors and former MPs have moved towards Nigel Farage’s Reform UK on the right.
Recent polling suggests Labour is averaging around 20 per cent nationally after just 18 months in government, compared with Reform on roughly 30 per cent and the Greens climbing to about 12 per cent.
