Five Brent Labour councillors quit party and defect to Greens

Five Labour councillors in Brent have resigned from the party and defected to the Greens.

The councillors, including a former council cabinet member and the Labour group’s former chief whip, accused Keir Starmer of a lack of ambition to deliver change, and criticised the government for “copying far-right policy and rhetoric on migration”, being “complicit” in the war in Gaza and for “silencing internal debate dissent”.

Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam, Harbi Farah, Mary Mitchell, Tony Ethapemi and Erica Gbajumo have joined Green Party leader Zack Polanski at a press conference in Wembley to announce their decision.

Polanski claimed that “good Labour councillors” could see the party had abandoned progressive politics “in its doomed attempt to out-Reform Reform”.

Ahmadi Moghaddam, who served as chief whip until the defection, said: “I joined Labour to build a fairer society, but Starmer’s government has abandoned any ambition to change the system. This government has doubled down on austerity whilst the cost of living devastates families, sides with big developers instead of fixing Brent’s housing crisis and scapegoats migrants to distract from its own failures. While Israel commits genocide in Gaza, this government arms the perpetrators and criminalises peaceful protest.”

‘My values have not changed, the party has’

Farah, who previously served as a cabinet leader for safer communities, said that, while she joined Labour because it “represented the ideals of social justice, equality and collective well-being”,  she now felt an “overwhelming and accumulating sense of disappointment”.

She said: “We were offered a transformative agenda, a genuine shift in power dynamics, but time and again, when faced with political headwinds or internal pressures, those commitments seemed to vanish, such as welfare reform, scapegoating immigrants, the race to the far right, scrapping jury trials and silencing internal debate dissent.

“I am leaving the Labour Party because my values have not changed, the party has. I still believe in a society structured around solidarity and genuine systemic change. I am a socialist, and I seek a political home that unambiguously champions these ideals.”

It comes after dozens of Labour councillors across the country have quit the party or defected in protest against different decisions being made by the government in Westminster.

‘Labour in Brent has focused on delivery rather than posturing’

A London Labour spokesperson told LabourList: “Zack Polanski has today announced a slate of Green councillor candidates in Brent. For the avoidance of doubt, all but one of the individuals unveiled were not selected to stand for the Labour Party at the next election, as they fell below the standards we require of those seeking to represent Labour.

“The Labour Party operates rigorous and transparent selection processes and maintains the highest standards for its candidates. Mr Polanski’s approach suggests a far lower bar for entry, raising serious questions about the level of scrutiny and judgment applied in the Green Party.

“In contrast, Labour in Brent has focused on delivery rather than posturing. Through the Cost-of-Living Advice Hub and Resident Support Fund, we have provided direct help with bills, food, debt and employment at a time of real pressure for families. We are delivering 5,000 genuinely affordable homes by 2028, including new council homes, tackling the housing crisis head-on. Backed by £1.5 million of Pride in Place funding from a Labour government, we are investing in town centres, high streets and neighbourhoods that residents are proud of.

“We look forward to the 2026 local elections, where we will stand on a proud record of delivery and on our work hand in hand with a Labour mayor and a Labour national government to deliver for the people of Brent.”

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