Councillor quits Labour to stand as independent

Another defection in Bucks as ex-Wycombe mayor quits Labour to stand as independent

A former mayor of Wycombe has quit Labour to stand as an independent candidate in the May local elections.

Downley Parish Councillor Trevor Snaith said the values of Sir Keir Starmer’s party no longer aligned with his own.

The announcement follows Bucks unitary councillor Diana Blamires leaving the Conservatives to stand as an independent in November.

Cllr Jonathan Waters also defected from the Tories shortly after to join the Liberal Democrats.

In a Facebook post, the councillor Snaith said: “While I have valued my time within the traditional political system and firmly believe that Labour is a better option for our country than the 14 years of Tory austerity and mismanagement, I had hoped to see a stronger commitment to real change.

“However, I didn’t enter politics to simply follow a party line or support policies that have shifted away from the traditional commitment to supporting vulnerable communities and working-class families.

“Recent government policies and actions do not reflect the principles I have always stood for.”

Cllr Snaith’s exit from Labour coincides with new YouGov polling this week which showed that just 54 per cent of the party’s July 2024 voters would back it if another general election were held tomorrow.

Labour is also now only one point ahead of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the polls.

Since coming to power, Labour has drawn backlash for scrapping the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, failing to abolish the two-child benefit cap, perceived inaction on the conflict in Gaza and its rejection of payouts for ‘Waspi’ women over pensions failings.

Cllr Snaith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the party’s refusal to compensate Waspi women last month over a historic decision to increase their state pension age was ‘the last straw’ for him.

In his statement, he said he ‘entered politics to do what’s right for my community and its residents’ and had ‘made the decision to move away from tribal politics’.

The Independent candidate announced his departure from Labour after attending the Local Government Association Independent Group’s annual conference in Maidenhead at the weekend, which he said was a ‘truly refreshing experience’.

Cllr Snaith said at least 24 independents were standing across High Wycombe and Buckinghamshire at the May 1st local elections this year, with further details to be announced in due course.

Voters will elect 97 unitary councillors to Buckinghamshire Council, which currently has 147 members and is controlled by the Conservatives.

Cllr Snaith, who has lived in High Wycombe for over 35 years, is known for being one of those behind the movement to give the town its own parish-level council, which Bucks Council ultimately rejected last year.

He was a councillor on Wycombe District Council for eight years and mayor from 2013 to 2014 during which time he started the Wycombe Santa Sleigh, which collects money each year for local groups and charities, and he is also chair of Wycombe Food Hub.