Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lambeth councillor Martin Abrams has quit Labour, accusing the party of fostering a “toxic culture of bullying” and pandering to the far right.
On Thursday, August 28, Martin Abrams, a Lambeth councillor for Streatham St Leonard’s ward since 2022, posted on social media to announce his departure from the Labour Party.
In an official statement, Cllr Abrams said he was “shocked at how bad things have become” under the leadership of Keir Starmer and after one year in Government. Cllr Abrams said:
“Keir Starmer is now breaking records for unpopularity and is rolling out the red carpet for Nigel Farage and Reform.
Labour is now pandering to the far right, by scapegoating migrants and the most vulnerable in our society, deliberately stirring up racial tensions caused not by migrants but 45 years of failed neoliberalism.”
He added:
“The Government is complicit in the ongoing Gaza genocide, providing military intelligence and support to Israel whilst at the same time criminalising dissent and peaceful protest which has now led to the ridiculous and shameful spectacle of the mass arrests of pensioners under the Terrorism Act.”
He continued by saying that he was “appalled” by the “toxic culture of bullying, racism, sexism, disablism, and factionalism” that he said Keir Starmer’s leadership had permitted and fostered within the party.
Lambeth Labour suspended Cllr. Abrams, a Jewish councillor, in February 2024 for supporting a resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. He claims that he is unable to run as a Labour candidate in the 2026 municipal elections because of the continued suspension.
Cllr Abrams said:
“As an Anti-Zionist Jewish person who was always taught to stand with the oppressed and never the oppressor, this vote was a matter of conscience for me and I am proud I took this stance.”
Cllr Abrams added:
“I still have huge amounts of energy, passion and ambitions for Streatham and to be that voice in Lambeth Council that always stands up for the whole community and I look forward to continuing this work.”
He will now sit as an independent councillor. Lambeth Labour was contacted for comment.
How have local Labour figures in Lambeth responded to his resignation?
The Lambeth Labour group, under the leadership of Council Leader Claire Holland, acknowledged the collaborative nature of their decision making and their duty to uphold party rules. They explained that through his vote against the group response on a Gaza ceasefire motion, Abrams acted alongside 3 other councillors, in contravention of party rules, and subjected the group to disciplinary action that included suspensions.
Several Labour councillors that had broken the whip, including Abramas, also faced suspension. Abrams was suspended indefinitely.
Some prominent figures expressed disappointment at the resignations. Vauxhall Labour MP Florence Eshalomi characterized the former councillor Sonia Winifred, who resigned on the same issue, as a “real community champion”, and was sorry to see her go.