Sir Keir Starmer has lost control of Broxtow Borough Council months before local elections. This is because 20 members of the Labor Party left the Labor Party after violent attacks against the prime minister.
Nottinghamshire councilors who left the party, which will now be known as the Broxtowe Independents, said they had experienced “bitterness and betrayal” over two years under Sir Keir’s Labor.
The group’s sudden departure was led by Council leader Milan Radulovic.
Labor had just regained Broxtowe Borough Council after losing overall control in the May 2023 local elections.
One of the defectors was also a member of Nottinghamshire County Council, meaning Labor no longer holds an opposition majority in the county.
The newly formed Brocktowe Independent Party said it was “with a heavy heart” that it “can no longer belong to a party that has abandoned traditional Labor values under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer”.
Mr Radulovic said in an interview with Sky News that the “last straw” was “the issue of preventing 10 candidates from standing as county council candidates”, a decision the council leader previously said He described it as a “purge of centrists.”
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He said he hoped the exodus would serve as a “wake-up call” for Labor at both a local and national level.
Radulovic added that the party would “definitely” suffer “huge losses” in local elections.
He said: “In Broxtow, independent parties will be fielding candidates in each ward, and I’m looking forward to testing the old ways at the polling station and seeing what will be a true test of democracy.” Ta.
But the six remaining Labor MPs in the area said leaving the party would have “no impact” on their pledges.
“Along with Labor colleagues, including Juliet Campbell and Alex Norris, we are committed to making Broxtow healthier, greener and safer for everyone as changes begin under this Labor Government. We will continue to work hard to make it an even more prosperous place.”
In a statement shared on Thursday, the 20-strong Brock Tow Independent Party said Labor in its current form is “not the Labor Party we campaigned for”.
They criticized Sir Keir’s government for cutting the winter fuel allowance, increasing bus fares and maintaining a cap on the two-child allowance for “demanding families”.
“People were told to vote for change, but all they got was the same thing: attack the most vulnerable and protect the interests of the rich and powerful.” they said.
“In Broxtow, we called on the party to reconsider the winter fuel allowance that affects local residents. What was its response? 10 dedicated councilors were ruthlessly elected as county council candidates for the May 2025 local elections. We will not stand idly by. We will defeat the people of Blocktoe and protect the undefendable.
“We can’t just sit there.”
The group said it would form a “new independent political party” to “always prioritize the needs of everyone in the community”.
Former Labor MPs have been locked in a public disagreement with the government for months over the decision to mean-test winter fuel payments, which stripped millions of pensioners of benefits.
Local elections will be held on May 1st.
