Conservatives could take over Brighton & Hove City Council as Labour councillor defects

Cllr Mary Mears, chair of Brighton Kemptown Conservatives, with Cllr Anne Meadows, who has defected to the Tories from Labour (Credit: Kemptown Conservatives)

A Brighton Labour councillor has defected to the Tories – a move which could hand control of the local authority to the Conservatives.

Brandon Lewis, chairman of the Conservative Party, announced the news this morning (February 20) on Twitter, and said: "Delighted to welcome former Labour Cllr Anne Meadows to @Conservatives."

He said that Cllr Meadows 'has been a dedicated councillor in Brighton & Hove since 1994' but he claimed she has been 'driven out' by alleged antisemitism.

Cllr Meadows was not reselected to stand in her Moulsecoomb and Bevendean ward for Labour in the upcoming May 2019 council elections, but she will now stand as a Conservative.

Prime Minister welcomes Brighton Labour councillor to Conservatives after defection

Cllr Meadows said “I am delighted that I have been so warmly accepted into the Conservative family, having spent most of my life as a Labour member and councillor.

"Leaving the Labour Party was not an easy decision for me, but today’s Labour Party is not one I recognise, nor the one I joined many years ago.

"I want to continue to represent residents in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean in the most effective way possible, and I believe to achieve this it has to be as a Conservative Councillor.”

Cllr Mary Mears, chairman of Brighton Kemptown Conservatives, said: “I have known Anne for many years on Brighton and Hove City Council and have seen how hard and determined she is in representing her residents.

"I know that we are gaining a very hard working and well-respected councillor throughout the city, and look forward to working with Anne to improve the lives of all who live in Brighton and Hove.”

But not all were happy with the move.