Cllr Sue Williams (centre) with her new Green Party colleagues | Credit: Green Party
Councillor Sue Williams joins the Green Party, pushing Gloucester County Council into no overall control and providing a further boost to Greens following record local election results
The Greens have become the latest party to benefit from a Conservative defection, after a Tory councillor on Gloucester County Council crossed the floor.
Councillor Sue Williams said she was joining the Green Party after becoming increasingly disillusioned about the Conservative Party's stance on issues such as the treatment of asylum seekers and the way the benefits system has been made difficult for those in need of access.
The move - which follows the high profile defections to Labour of Conservative MPs Dan Poulter and Natalie Elphicke - leaves Gloucester County Council in no overall control.
The defection comes after record breaking local election results for the Green Party, which saw the Party increase councillor numbers to 808 seats across 74 Councils. The Party is now part of the administration in some 38 local authorities and is increasingly bullish that strong performances in Bristol and East Anglia could see it add to its single MP at the next election.
Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of the Green Party who is standing to become MP in Waveney Valley in Suffolk, said the defection of a Conservative councillor highlighted how the Party was winning over voters from across the political spectrum.
"People from every part of the country and every political background are increasingly attracted by our message of hope and our vision of a fairer, greener country," he said. "The Conservatives are losing control. Greens are successfully challenging the two-party system and holding the balance of power in an ever-increasing number of Councils. At a national level, a group of Green MPs will also be able to hold the next government to account.
"I know that Councillor Sue Williams will receive a warm welcome by the Green Group on Gloucestershire County Council, and I extend an invitation to other councillors disillusioned with both the Conservatives and Labour, and who share our values, to speak to us."
The division represented by Councillor Sue Williams is within Stroud District, where Greens became the largest party following the recent local elections.
"Over the past months I have grown increasingly disillusioned and angry and I cannot - morally or ethically - ignore my conflicting views as an individual and as a Conservative Party member," said Williams. "I can no longer defend the party's stance on many issues and policies, including the treatment of asylum seekers fearing deportation to Rwanda, and the way the benefits system has been made so very difficult for those in need to navigate. I want to represent a party that people can trust and I believe that the Greens are a party of integrity. I feel very aligned with their policies and vision for the future."
The decision was welcomed by Green group leader on Gloucestershire Council, Cate Cody, who said: "All of us have worked with Sue on various committees and we know her to be a councillor who is gentle, compassionate and conscientious. We appreciate her diligence and admire her determination to do the right thing for her constituents, regardless of party politics. We are very happy to welcome her to the Green group."
The move came on the same day as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday gave a speech in which he highlighted the growing long term security threats facing the UK, arguing the world was at a more dangerous moment than at any point since the end of the Cold War.
But the speech sparked criticism from green groups for failing to acknowledge the risks associated with worsening climate impacts and reliance on fossil fuel imports.
Alasdair Johnstone from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank said Sunak was right to highlight the UK's achievements in building out its offshore wind industry, but warned his focus on boosting domestic oil and gas supplies "does not completely stack up".
"On energy security, the sensible hard-headed approach to net zero would be to lean into more home grown renewable energy as the best way to guarantee the UK's energy security, reducing our dependence on volatile international gas and oil markets," he said. "His government fumbled the last offshore wind auction yet delays to offshore wind mean the UK could miss out on 22 times more homegrown electricity than could be generated by gas from new North Sea licences.
"To talk of a more unstable world without referencing the clear and present dangers of climate change means his analysis certainly deviates from other world leaders. The UK's food security is set to take a serious hit this year because of the extreme wet winter British farmers have been struggling with."
You can now sign up to attend the fifth annual Net Zero Festival, which will be hosted by BusinessGreen on October 22-23 at the Business Design Centre in London.
