Labour councillor defects to Reform in a fresh blow to Starmer

A Labour councillor has defected to the Reform UK party which is another blow for Sir Keir Starmer’s troubled government.

Mason R Humberstone, who is the councillor of Old Town ward of Stevenage Borough Council is the first Labour councillor to defect to Nigel Farage’s party.

Humberstone said Labour is “without vision, mired in scandal, and too often speaking for a metropolitan elite.”

He wrote on social media, “I’ve battled with this decision for some time. But deep down, I know it’s the right call. It isn’t ordinary, hardworking people in Stevenage and across our country who’ve left Labour, Labour has left us.

When policies harm the British people and weaken our democracy, I cannot in good conscience support them. As Stevenage’s youngest councillor, I entered politics to serve with integrity and respect.

Today, I know I join a party that will put the British people and our great nation first. I feel proud to be part of this team and ready to get to work.”

A local Labour party source told The Bishop’s Stortford Independent, “Mason showed a lot of promise and potential when he joined the party, but the reality is he fell extremely below the mark.

Stevenage’s Labour MP Kevin Bonavia is calling for a by-election and said he is “deeply disappointed” over the defection and has joined a party that “thrives on fear and division and has no practical solutions for our country’s future.”

Mr Bonavia added: “I will not be distracted by political opportunism as I continue to focus on working day and night to secure positive changes for our town and villages as our local MP.

On Monday the former Danny Kruger, Tory MP for East Wiltshire defected to Reform saying the Conservative Part is “over.”

On Tuesday former Tory minister Maria Caulfield who is a full-time nurse working for the NHS defected Reform UK party.