Labour says quitting councillors causing 'chaos'

Labour has accused a group of Nottinghamshire councillors, who quit the party in protest at its direction under Sir Keir Starmer, of plunging a council into "political chaos".

Twenty councillors, from Broxtowe Borough Council, resigned the Labour whip on 2 January and said they intended to form a new independent party on the authority.

However, East Midlands Labour claimed it remained unclear whether that had happened.

On Friday, the party called for an extraordinary council meeting to demand clarity on who was now running the authority.

The group of councillors, calling themselves the Broxtowe Independents, said they discussed the arrangements with group leaders informally several weeks ago.

The group's deputy leader Greg Marshall said: "We have now confirmed formal details of all Broxtowe Independent councillors who have left the Labour Party and will administer the changes accordingly."

The council's officers have also been asked for comment.

The next full council meeting in Broxtowe is scheduled for 5 March.

When they resigned, the group claimed the party had "abandoned traditional Labour values" and criticised policies such as cutting the winter fuel allowance for some pensioners.

They also claimed 10 of them had been blocked from standing for Labour at upcoming local elections for Nottinghamshire County Council.

However, Labour said all applicants to be candidates were allowed to apply through the party's normal process.

The members of the Broxtowe Independents were still listed as Labour members on the council's website on Thursday.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said it had confirmed 18 of them intended to quit Labour.

A Labour spokesperson said this was "misleading residents and bringing the council into disrepute".

The spokesperson added: "The leadership of the council also remains a mystery, as despite 14 days having passed, the new group has failed to confirm whether they will rule as a minority administration or join with other independents.

"That has an impact on who will hold cabinet roles and take responsibility for vital services, from health and community safety, through to the environment and even bin collections."

Labour said the extraordinary meeting was needed to clarify the political make-up of the authority.

Remaining Broxtowe Labour councillor Peter Bales said: "While Labour councillors continue to focus on residents who voted for them just 18 months ago, this group can't even get their paperwork in order, and it is residents that will suffer as a result."

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