BASINGSTOKE is set to get its first Green councillor as a former Labour member has joined the party.

Cllr Michael Howard-Sorrell quit the Labour Party in protest of the selection of David Lawrence as the parliamentary party candidate in December last year.

He previously told the Gazette that he decided to leave as he believes “the candidate the party chose is completely unsuitable to represent Labour locally”.

Now, the member for Brookvale and Kings Furlong has advised Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council that he will represent the Green Party.

READ MORE: Councillor quits Labour in protest over election candidate selection

Cllr Howard-Sorrell said: “I took the decision to leave the Labour Party as I no longer felt they were the best option for local people in the ward and across the borough. It was a hard decision, but one I considered carefully. My core values are what lead me to this decision, and they haven’t changed.”

He continued: “As the first Green Party councillor in Basingstoke, I will still prioritise the community and the environment. I still believe locally-led initiatives, built from the ground up, are best placed to tackle many of the issues we face.”

Cllr Howard-Sorrell will not face re-election until 2026 and has said that he is looking forward to the challenge of increasing the Green vote in the area and assisting the party in gaining a second councillor through winning in Chineham later this year. The party came second in the ward, behind the Conservatives, in the 2022 elections.  

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There are currently over 550 Green councillors working across 167 councils in England and Wales.

Cllr Howard-Sorrell is the 17th Labour councillor to have moved to the Green Party since Keir Starmer became Labour leader.

As previously reported, Cllr Howard-Sorrell submitted his resignation letter two days after he was administratively suspended by the party for "speaking out against Mr Lawrence". 

Cllr Howard-Sorrell was also vying for the candidature initially, but only Cllr Alex Lee and Mr Lawrence were shortlisted by the party.