Councillor Switches Allegiance from Labour to Reform UK Party
In a surprising turn of events, Mason Humberstone, a Labour borough councillor representing Old Town ward in Stevenage, has defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. This makes Humberstone the first sitting Labour councillor in England to make such a move to the party city.
Councillor Humberstone, who was elected in the Old Town ward of Stevenage, England, has been under scrutiny for his performance as a councillor. A local Labour source stated that Humberstone fell extremely below the mark in his duties, attending only 10 of the 33 council and committee meetings he was expected to attend in the last year.
The council leader, Richard Henry, accused Humberstone of jumping ship for personal and political gain, after being given many chances to improve conduct. Henry suggested a by-election should be held following Humberstone's move to the party city.
Kevin Bonavia, Labour MP for Stevenage, expressed disappointment over Humberstone's move to the party city. Bonavia urged Humberstone to resign and seek a fresh mandate in a new election. Humberstone, however, stated that he made the decision to leave Labour after battling with it for some time.
Humberstone claimed he has been on the receiving end of untruths and nastiness from some former colleagues. He believes that the party he joined, Reform UK, is a fresh and dynamic force, offering a vision that is lost in the Labour party, which he sees as mired in scandal and speaking for a metropolitan elite rather than the people they're meant to serve.
The Reform leader welcomed Humberstone to the party city, stating they are winning the support of young people from across the political landscape. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, echoed this sentiment, stating that Humberstone's move shows that the party city is attracting support from diverse political backgrounds.
It is worth noting that former Scottish Labour councillor Jamie McGuire made a similar move to Reform UK earlier this year, and there were nine former Tory MPs who have joined the party city.
Humberstone announced his defection from Labour on Wednesday, leaving him as the only Reform member on the Labour-run authority in Stevenage. The implications of this move to the party city and the calls for a by-election will be closely watched in the coming weeks.
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