A councillor has left the Conservatives to join the Labour party, the second to do so in less than two weeks.
Councillor James Lancaster, who was elected in 2019 as a councillor for Tattenhoe ward, and recently re-elected in May 2023, has today (26/6) left the Conservatives and joined the Labour Party.
Councillor James Lancaster has become the second Milton Keynes Conservative councillor to quit the party and join Labour in less than a fortnight.
Councillor James Lancaster said: “Serving as a councillor for my community in Tattenhoe is one of the greatest honours of my life. I have always done my best to speak up for local residents and fight for what they deserve. In 2019 when I first stood for election to the City Council, it was as a Conservative candidate because I believed that they were the party that could deliver prosperity and opportunity for all.
“But the past few years have shown only that the Conservatives are the party of chaos. Inflation is soaring. Mortgage prices are rocketing. The cost of living crisis, the flames of which were fanned by Liz Truss’ mini-budget, has only worsened under Rishi Sunak. And yet Conservative MPs in Westminster have spent more time recently arguing over parties and peerages than tackling the many problems facing the British people.
“In the recent local election campaign I was just about able to defend the record of the ‘Local Conservatives’ (as we were called, to try and distance ourselves from the Conservative government). But the final straw for me was the disgraceful response to the video of Conservative staff drinking and dancing at a Christmas party in breach of Covid lockdown rules. Rishi Sunak has shown a shameful lack of leadership, and I am no longer prepared to defend the Conservative Party to the public. They are no longer fit to govern, and it is time to make way for someone else who can.
“That is why I am today joining the Labour Party. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party into a serious government-in-waiting. On the economy, on the NHS, on crime, on the cost of living – the Labour Party has been putting forward sensible solutions that will address the needs of our country. Labour, under Keir Starmer’s leadership, can absolutely be trusted to deliver for the British people.
CONSERVATIVES 'DISAPPOINTED' AS SECOND MILTON KEYNES COUNCILLOR MAKES SHOCK MOVE TO LABOUR
“I look forward to joining the Labour Group on Milton Keynes City Council and supporting the Labour-led administration, and will continue to speak up for and fight for the residents of Tattenhoe ward, who it is my great honour to serve.”
Councillor Peter Marland, Leader of Milton Keynes Council and the local Labour group, said: “James has always had a reputation as an excellent ward councillor, and I am delighted that he has decided to join the Labour Party. He is very welcome in the Labour Group and I know he will be a valuable part of the Labour team in the city.
“James is now the second former Conservative councillor so far to join Labour – further evidence that the Labour Party is the only party able to govern in the interests of the British people.”
CONSERVATIVES 'DISAPPOINTED' AS SECOND MILTON KEYNES COUNCILLOR MAKES SHOCK MOVE TO LABOUR
