General councillors and other notable defections

[No Offence Alan]

Oct 21, 2024 22:08:15 GMT skyep said:

bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/news/lib-dems-become-largest-opposition-in-bromsgrove-as-sam-ammar-joins-ranks/

As some-one active in Liberal/Lib Dem politics in the 1980s in Worcestershire, I find it mind-boggling that Bromsgrove is now our strongest area in the county. It was our weakest then.

[batman]

Sam Ammar is female

[Crimson King]

Oct 23, 2024 15:49:10 GMT batman said:

Sam Ammar is female

what, both of her?

[ricmk]

Jaymey McIvor, Ongar (Epping Forest + Essex County Council) Conservative -> Reform.

twitter.com/McivorJaymey

Was going to be the Hemel Hempsted Conservative parliamentary candidate but rejected at the last minute.

[The Bishop]

I'm sure those two things are unrelated....

[Forfarshire Conservative]

Reform Scotland have announced that Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, both on Aberdeenshire Council, have joined Reform making them Scotland’s first Reform councillors.

[Merseymike]

Oct 24, 2024 14:06:09 GMT Forfarshire Conservative said:

Reform Scotland have announced that Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, both on Aberdeenshire Council, have joined Reform making them Scotland’s first Reform councillors.

Both ex-Tories.

[stb12]

Oct 24, 2024 14:06:09 GMT Forfarshire Conservative said:

Reform Scotland have announced that Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, both on Aberdeenshire Council, have joined Reform making them Scotland’s first Reform councillors.

Findlater was the 2021 Tory candidate in Banffshire and Buchan coast, finished less then 800 votes from winning

[sanders]

Oct 24, 2024 15:22:20 GMT stb12 said:

Oct 24, 2024 14:06:09 GMT Forfarshire Conservative said:

Reform Scotland have announced that Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, both on Aberdeenshire Council, have joined Reform making them Scotland’s first Reform councillors.

Findlater was the 2021 Tory candidate in Banffshire and Buchan coast, finished less then 800 votes from winning

Reform’s best area in Scotland in the General Election. Aberdeenshire North & Moray East covers much of that seat.

[No Offence Alan]

Oct 24, 2024 18:39:10 GMT sanders said:

Oct 24, 2024 15:22:20 GMT stb12 said:

Findlater was the 2021 Tory candidate in Banffshire and Buchan coast, finished less then 800 votes from winning

Reform’s best area in Scotland in the General Election. Aberdeenshire North & Moray East covers much of that seat.

Largely down to the Ross factor.

[carolus]

Darlington, Hummersknott (2027). Thomas Robinson, Green to Independent.

The next one seems rather likely to be a website error, but I shall post it for information:
Birmingham, Aston (2026). Ayoub Khan, Independent (elected as Liberal Democrat) is now listed as Liberal Democrat.

[CatholicLeft]

I am so amused by posters on Twitter announcing an avalanche-style rush of defections from Conservative to Reform, with so little evidence.

[maxque]

Oct 24, 2024 8:46:04 GMT ricmk said:

Jaymey McIvor, Ongar (Epping Forest + Essex County Council) Conservative -> Reform.

twitter.com/McivorJaymey

Was going to be the Hemel Hempsted Conservative parliamentary candidate but rejected at the last minute.

The Conservatives claim he was expelled from the party on October 9th after a disciplinary hearing.

[sanders]

Oct 24, 2024 21:08:11 GMT No Offence Alan said:

Oct 24, 2024 18:39:10 GMT sanders said:

Reform’s best area in Scotland in the General Election. Aberdeenshire North & Moray East covers much of that seat.

Largely down to the Ross factor.

Absolutely, but it is a highly Eurosceptic area and the old Banff & Buchan seat voted Leave in 2016. Common Fisheries Policy was a big issue up there. 

[stb12]

Reform will obviously focus on the list as their best chance of winning seats at Holyrood, but they may see standing in constituency seats also as a way to help maximise the vote and they saved plenty of deposits in Scotland at the GE

[iang]

Oct 24, 2024 21:18:20 GMT carolus said:

Darlington, Hummersknott (2027). Thomas Robinson, Green to Independent.

The next one seems rather likely to be a website error, but I shall post it for information:
Birmingham, Aston (2026). Ayoub Khan, Independent (elected as Liberal Democrat) is now listed as Liberal Democrat.

This may be because (as I understand it) he has remained part of the council group, so it might reflect group membership rather than individual membership, so to speak

[batman]

so he stands in the general election against an official Lib Dem candidate & is still allowed to sit in the Lib Dem council group? That's rather generous.

[iang]

Again, as I understand it, (you'd need to ask someone else for details), it's mainly the practical aspects, both of group size, and of dealing with things like casework - there are quite a few other examples of people forming groups that are more than one party, but yes, I agree this is quite unusual. Also no guarantee how long it will endure I guess

[Crimson King]

We gave a similar situation in the Jewel where the Queensbury independent (who stood against the official conservative candidate) sits in the “Conservative and Queensbury Indepndent Group” I’m sure it has nothing to do with thefact that it takes the group over the 15% threshold for SRAs gifting the leader, deputy, whip and opposition spokespersons large amounts of money (from recollection about £60,000 in total - at least I called him the six million penny man at the time)

[peterl]

Mick Barton, Barry Answer, and Martin Wright, Mansfield District Council, independent to Reform.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj0rq1n8r7o