‘Morally bankrupt’: departing councillor delivers damning verdict on Claire Holland’s Labour
Former Clapham East councillor Andrew Collins has left Labour and joined the Green Party, following what he described as ‘longstanding ally’ Martin Abrams into the party. In a statement on …
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Former Clapham East councillor Andrew Collins has left Labour and joined the Green Party, following what he described as ‘longstanding ally’ Martin Abrams into the party.
In a statement on the Lambeth Green Party website, Collins described Claire Holland’s Labour as a ‘morally bankrupt sham’ that has ‘deteriorated under the current leadership.’
Speaking exclusively to Brixton Buzz, Collins said he had been “inspired by the Green Party’s radical leadership” and hoped to help the local party “fight austerity, empower residents, and address housing neglect in the borough.”
He added:
“As someone who has seen the local Labour cabal up close, it’s clear to me that the Green Party are the true torchbearers for progressive politics in our borough with the bold vision to improve people’s lives.”
– Former Clapham East councillor Andrew Collins
Asked what the final straw was, Collins said it was “a combination of events, the continued rotten Downing Street administration and Starmer refusing to step down, and hearing that Holland is trying to hang on after she halved the Labour group’s size with her regressive policies and aggressive interpersonal manner.”
Collins confirmed he would sign the Lambeth Votes Palestine pledge, back the reinstatement of the Lambeth Country Show, and support reversing the International House development.
In his statement on the Greens’ website, Collins said: “I didn’t leave Labour. They left me. After four years of witnessing first-hand estates crumbling, residents ignored, dirty streets under outsourced waste collection and general malaise across Lambeth, I couldn’t stand idly by and let this go unchallenged.”
He called the Lambeth Greens ‘the only force advocating for better public services and an end to the crisis in local government’ and said he was ‘confident that under a Green administration, residents and workers will finally be listened to.’
The defection comes days after the Greens won 29 seats on Lambeth Council, ending Labour’s 20-year control of the borough. A by-election is expected after Saiqa Ali, who was suspended by the Greens during the campaign, declined to take her seat in Streatham St Leonard’s.
Abrams himself quit Labour and crossed to the Greens in 2025 following a long suspension over a Gaza ceasefire vote.
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