Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Former Southwark Labour chair Kath Whittam defects to the Green Party after leaving Labour amid turmoil over the local leadership election.
Following Southwark Labour’s turbulent leadership election, which saw the party switch three leaders in a single week, 42-year Labour member Kath Whittam resigned from the party in July.
She is now Southwark’s first Green councillor in fifteen years thanks to her choice to defect.
Whittam explained that she felt she could “breathe and speak” in order to justify her desertion. Instead of battling, I feel like I can strive to assist others.
Following objections about the use of two proxy votes, which violated the local party’s standing orders, London Labour called in the initial ballot on June 30 that resulted in James McAsh’s election.
A week later, on July 7, the election was redone online, and Sarah King was chosen to lead Southwark Labour and, consequently, the council.
Whittam compared herself to a “momma bear who had been shot in the head” and declared her decision to run as an independent in a dramatic email sent to colleagues on July 12 in the days following King’s triumph.
She said: “The Green Party is a party where everyone pulls together. The Green Party is united and moving in the same direction. There are no divisive factions, no sides to take – just a shared space to talk about common goals. It’s positive, hopeful, and focused on real solutions.”
She added there were a number of policy points which had also fed into her decision to defect, continuing: “I’m a WASPI woman. I am a woman with a daughter who receives personal independence payments (PIP). With policies like scrapping the Winter Fuel Allowance and the two-child cap just don’t help working people or working-class families. The Labour Party is no longer looking after the people.”
Millions of Waspi women lost out when the State Pension age was raised for women born in the 1950s.
Following the leadership fiasco, Whittam and Cllr Laura Jonhson were two of the Southwark Labour council members that left the party.
After voting against Sarah King’s confirmation as the new Southwark Council leader at a full council meeting on July 9, two council members, Ketzia Harper and Sam Foster, were recently suspended from the party for six months.
With rumors that the local party is having trouble finding potential council members to run in the May local elections, Whittam’s decision raises the chance that others would do the same.
Whittam is part of a trend of Labour council members switching to the Green Party outside of Southwark. She defected on the same day as Guy Lambeth, a former Labour councillor from Hounslow, declared his intention to join the Greens.
Two Lewisham Labour council members, Cllr. Hau-Yu Tam of the Evelyn ward in Deptford and Cllr. Shrivastava of the New Cross Gate ward, defected to the Green Party this year.
Martin Abrams, a Lambeth councillor, also defected from Labour to the Greens in September after leaving the party to run as an independent.
Andy Higson, Secretary of the Southwark Green Party, said: “We are delighted to have Kath join the Green Party. Kath is a highly respected councillor with a track record of achieving for her community. Southwark Green Party has arrived as a major player in Southwark politics. We can’t wait for our chance to make our case to voters in May’s council elections.
Kath is our first Green Party councillor in Southwark in sixteen years. With Greens in second place in a recent national poll, and more and more voters in Southwark pledging their vote to Green candidates, we’re confident more will join her soon. We are on track to win the most votes of any party in May. Change is coming to Southwark.”
Victor Chamberlain, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, used the occasion to attack the local Labour administration, stating: “On housing, crime, or the cost of living, the Labour party are unable to defend their record locally or in Government. No wonder more and more people are being driven away from a Labour party that continues to disappoint.
The Liberal Democrats remain the only elected opposition in Southwark – next May the choice will be between a Liberal Democrat or a Labour council, with no other party able to win control.”
What prompted Kath Whittam to join the Green Party?
In July, Kath Whittam left Labour, fueled by the crises of its leadership election, which had three leaders in a week! After 42 years with Labour, she was unsettled by the turmoil of the party, and based on professional experiences, she said the leadership election was unfair and unclear.
Whittam noted, ‘The Green Party felt so positive and hopeful; there were no factions and this meant it was time to focus on what we all want and what are the real solutions’.
The policy discussions were also part of her decision to leave. As a WASPI woman, and someone who has a family member that receives personal independence payments, she had disagreement with Labour policy like scrapping the Winter Fuel Allowance and the two-child cap being in the best interest of working-class families.