The Labour party no longer represents the interest of working people, claims one Sefton councillor following protest resignations from the party.
Cllr Natasha Carlin of Blundellsands and Cllr Sean Halsall of Kew Ward have both left the Labour party expressing disillusion with the party’s current trajectory.
In their respective statements, both councillors draw attention to Labours proposed continuation of many of the Conservatives’ fiscal policies, with Mr. Halsall naming the two-child benefits cap as a key point of personal contention.
Carlin wrote: “I no longer feel the Labour Party represents the morals and principles that I live by, and I do not recognise the party as the one I joined in 2016.”
There was also mention of issues surrounding the Gaza conflict in both statements, furthering the wider domestic crisis concerning the UK’s reaction to the war.
Speaking to Mersey News Live, Mr. Halsall, a veteran Labour activist, claimed: “I think the party fundamentally fails to represent working people’s interests.”
Both Ms. Carlin and Mr. Halsall have since pledged to continue representing their constituencies, opting to run as independents in the forthcoming May Local Elections.
On the decision to run as an independent, Mr. Halsall said: “Kew Ward had never been held by Labour before, to now having a one thousand vote majority. That isn’t anything to do with a red rosette on me, it’s to do with the community work I do.”
Mr. Halsall went on to say: “Democracy is about representation. There’s too many people filling seats that have no interest in representing the communities they’re from, and quite often don’t live in the communities they represent, which is a problem.”
Their departure from the Labour party underscores broader fissures, both domestically and nationally.
Sefton, along with five other authorities, will vote in local elections being held on the May 2 2024.
