Ex-Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle defects to Greens as he accuses Starmer’s party of ‘leaving millions behind’
Former Labor MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has defected to the Greens in the party’s biggest departure to date.
Mr Russell-Moyle represented the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency from 2017 to 2024, which borders the long-serving Green seat of Brighton Pavilion.
He took aim at the direction of his former party in a statement, saying it had “left behind millions of people who want hope and want to see change in their lives.”
“I worked with Caroline for almost ten years [Lucas] “As MP for the Door,” he said, “My old party has left behind millions of people who want hope, who want to see change in their lives, their communities and the world around them. I see a party among the Greens proposing this. I see the Greens, a party I have been working with for years, and today I am taking the leap to join them. “I invite others to do the same.”
A number of Labor councilors have left their party to join the Greens, but Mr Russell-Moyle is the most well-known Labor face to make the switch so far.
This comes after party leader Zack Polanski said: IndependentHe had held numerous talks with Labor MPs about defecting to his own party as they became increasingly unhappy with the direction of Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
He said the number of Labor MPs he spoke to who were dissatisfied with the party was in “double digits”. He added that the Greens would “absolutely” welcome disappointed MPs as long as they shared the party’s values.
On Thursday, Mr. Polanski said he was “delighted to welcome Lloyd to the party,” adding: “His story is all too familiar, one of abandonment for gain and power over men and principles.
“Lloyd and tens of thousands of people like him didn’t leave the Labor Party; Labor abandoned them.
“Today the Green Party has over 150,000 members and is polling second only to Reform. The Greens are the home of progressive politics and we are making hope normal again.”
Mr Russell-Moyle was suspended from the Labor Party in 2024 after complaints were made about his behavior eight years ago, but returned to the party earlier this year after an investigation found there was insufficient evidence.
At the time, the MP said he believed it was an “annoying and politically motivated complaint”.
His departure comes as the Green Party is rising in the polls, with a YouGov poll last month showing the party had 16 per cent support. Survey commissioned by TimesIt found that only 17 per cent of voters backed Labour, the same number who would vote for Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party, while Reform UK remained ahead on 27 per cent.
The Green Party said its membership had increased by 45 percent since Mr. Polanski was elected leader of the party in September and surpassed 100,000 members in October.
