Westminster councillor Laila Cunningham with her new Reform UK colleagues

IT was the city council’s Conservative group’s turn to be hit by a defection this week after Laila Cunningham announced she was switching sides to Reform UK.

The Lancaster Gate ward councillor arrived at Westminster’s full council meeting on Wednesday flanked by London Assembly Member Alex Wilson and a group of her new “family” at the party.

She tweeted an email from the party confirming her “suspension” a day after her resignation, and added: “Another example of the Tory death spiral.”

Inside the meeting, the Conservative group leader Paul Swaddle was accused by Labour of failing to suspend her after she showed signs of “stepping back from her responsibilities” in recent months.

In her resignation statement, Cllr Cunningham said: “I have not taken this step lightly. I have devoted a great deal of time and effort to supporting the party over many years. But like others, I feel that it’s not so much a case of me leaving the party but the party has left me.

“The Conservative Party used to be a party that stood for sound public finances, low tax, controlled immigration, and law and order.

“On these, and almost every other big issue facing Britain – including women’s rights, net zero, and DEI [diversity, equity, inclusion] – the Conservative Party has let the country down.”

She said Reform UK could “save Britain”.

Laila Cunningham

Cllr Cunningham’s defection to Reform UK from the Tories follows Cllr Paul Fisher’s defection to the Conservatives from Labour earlier this year.

In the meeting, Labour Cllr Robert Eagleton, asked a question of his own leader, Adam Hug.

Cllr Eagleton said: “The leader of the minority group said that one of his councillors had become increasingly disengaged, turning up late, and stepping back from local responsibilities. Can you reassure residents that if a councillor from this side of the house did that they would be swiftly suspended?”

He added: “The fact the leader of the minority party turned a blind eye to this until they decided to defect, shows he is quite willing to turn a blind eye to incompetence. Doesn’t this just show the leader is uniquely unfit to lead this council?”

Cllr Hug said: “We have a robust selection processes to make sure our councillors are the right people for the job.

“Very clearly we are facing a choice at the next election and we are concerned about the Conservative Party that is becoming increasingly extreme, propelled by pressure from Reform. I don’t think Laila’s views are going to change much now she is in Reform.

“We have a concern about the increasingly right wing Conservative party in Westminster.”

Cllr Swaddle had told the Local Democracy Reporting Service earlier in the week that Cllr Cunningham had begun to miss meetings. He said she had withdrawn her candidacy for the seat of Rotherham during last year’s general election at the last minute. He added: “We now look forward to selecting three true Conservatives to fight, and win, in the ward and give local people the proper representation they deserve.”

West End ward Tory, Cllr Fisher, asked whether his former Labour colleagues were capable of standing up to Sir Sadiq Khan’s Oxford Street pedestrianisation programme and rising crime.

There are currently 25 Conservative councillors, 28 Labour councillors and one Reform UK councillor ahead of next year’s council elections.