Labour loses control of council as councillor switches to Lib Dems over Europe

I’ve covered before the great progress Elaine Bagshaw and team are making in rebuilding the Liberal Democrats in Tower Hamlets. Now the local party has its first local councillor too as Andrew Cregan, councillor for Island Gardens ward, has switched to the Liberal Democrats over Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s support for Brexit.

The switch means Labour loses its overall majority on the council.

Andrew Cregan said:

After much soul searching, I have resigned my membership of the Labour Party in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, where I have served as the Chairman of the Labour Group of Councillors.

I joined the Labour Party as teenager because I believed in its core values. At the time it was an unambiguously pro-European party, but today that is no longer the case.

I believe that Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has taken the Labour Party backwards in many ways, and he has failed to put forward the overwhelming case for remaining in the European Union, both during the referendum campaign and ever since. In doing so he has let down all the people of Britain.

I will have no part of a political party that is acquiescent in taking our country out of the European Union and the Single Market, breaking links with our friends, allies and closest trading partners.

I have today joined the Liberal Democrats as a party that is dedicated to keeping the UK open, tolerant and united. And remains unambiguously pro-European.

UPDATE: There’s now been another switch from Labour to Lib Dem in London over Europe.