A group of 18 Broxtowe Borough Councillors, led by council leader Milan Radulovic, have announced their departure from the Labour Party, citing policy disagreements as the primary reason. The announcement, which garnered national attention, follows the blocking of deputy leader Greg Marshall from parliamentary selection and claims of 10 members being prevented from standing for Labour in local elections due to their stance on government policy. The councillors plan to remain on the authority as independents.
A group of Broxtowe Borough councillors led by council leader Milan Radulovic announced on January 2 that 20 Labour members would be stepping down from the party due to policy disagreements . The group included deputy leader Greg Marshall, who had previously been the party’s parliamentary candidate in Broxtowe before being replaced by Juliet Campbell, who went on to win the seat in the July 2024 General Election.
The announcement garnered national attention amidst criticism of the government's policies and was even referenced in a social media post by US billionaire and Labour critic Elon Musk. However, the group did not release a full list of names at the time, and all those present remained listed as Labour councillors on the council website as of January 16.The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has since clarified the names of those planning to leave Labour - currently 18. Besides Cllrs Radulovic and Marshall, direct confirmation with the LDRS and announcements on social media reveal the councillors who have stated their intention to leave the party are Vanessa Smith, Teresa Cullen, Helen Skinner, Shaun Dannheimer, Sarah Webb, Pauline Smith, Katherine Harlow, Ross Bofinger, Gabrielle Bunn, Colin Tideswell, Stephen Jeremiah, John McGrath, Sue Paterson, Chris Carr, Robert Bullock and Ken Woodhead. It is important to note that the decision to formally cancel party memberships rests with individual members. The group intends to remain on the authority as independent councillors. Speaking at the announcement, Cllr Radulovic stated that the Labour Party had blocked Cllr Marshall from parliamentary selection ahead of the 2024 General Election and claimed 10 members had been prevented from standing for Labour in the upcoming Nottinghamshire County Council elections due to their questioning of the Government's winter fuel policy. It is understood that Councillors David Bagshaw and Susan Bagshaw were also part of the group initially planning to leave the Labour Party on January 2. However, Cllr David Bagshaw, speaking on behalf of both himself and his wife, stated to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they have decided to remain in the Labour Party for now. Cllr Bagshaw added, “Things might change, but at the moment we will stick with what we have - it may not be the Labour Party we originally thought of, but we’re quite happy to see where it goes at the moment.” Cllr Teresa Cullen added that while two councillors involved in the planning for the Broxtowe Independents split have opted not to join at this time due to deeply personal reasons, they remain supportive of their decision and that discussions are ongoing. Cullen emphasized that the door is still open for any councillor to join the group.It is understood that the Labour Party was not formally notified by the group of Broxtowe councillors about their intention to leave before the public announcement. A Labour Party spokesperson responded, stating, “While Labour councillors continue to focus on serving the people of Broxtowe, this group of independents can’t even get their paperwork in order. It is not fair on voters who just 18 months ago put their faith in these councillors to deliver for our area. We will continue to get on with the job, listening to our residents and working alongside the Labour government to deliver our Plan for Change.” Broxtowe Borough Cllrs Andy Cooper, Will Mee, Peter Bales, Helen Faccio, Ellie Winfield and Tyler Marsh were not part of the group announcement and are understood to remain in the Labour Party.
Labour Party Broxtowe Councillors Rebellion Policy Disagreements Local Elections Independent Councillors Nottinghamshire
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