Labour Councillor takes Conservative Whip in Lambeth
Cllr John Whelan, Cllr Evans-Jacas and Streatham Parliamentary Candidate Rahoul Bhansali
A senior Labour councillor who represents the same ward as the Labour Leader of the Council Steve Reed has resigned the Labour Whip and joined the Conservative Group. Councillor Betty Evans-Jacas, who represents Brixton Hill Ward, is also a Labour nominated member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and had been a member of the Labour Party for more than a decade.
She said: “I have written to my constituents in Brixton Hill explaining my decision to resign from the Labour Group in Lambeth. After years of agonising over the failure of the leadership of the Labour Party in Lambeth to listen to the residents, faith organisations, and business of Brixton Hill and Lambeth as a whole, I have decided to become a member of the Conservative Party under David Cameron. I believe that under his leadership, I will be able to fulfil all of my duties as a Brixton Hill ward councillor and have therefore applied to join the Conservative Group on Lambeth Council.”
Councillor John Whelan, Conservative Group Leader, said: “We have no hesitation in welcoming Betty to David Cameron’s Conservative Party. Betty is a woman of great integrity who is respected throughout the borough for her dedication to public service on Lambeth Council where she has been a consistently strong voice for the residents, faith groups, and small businesses of Brixton Hill. I was privileged to serve with her for two years on the London Fire Authority where she impressed everyone with her concern for the safety of all Londoners.”
Streatham Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Rahoul Bhansali says: “I look forward to working closely with Betty to fight for the interests of Brixton Hill and all Streatham residents. Betty’s decision reflects what is happening across the constituency. More and more voters who I speak to are disillusioned with Labour and see the Conservatives as the viable alternative.”
Dear Betty,
Well done and welcome. I do not know whether you are a Trade Union Member but if so you are joining a growing group of people fed up with the way Labour exploits Trade Union loyalty to the detriment of ordinary TU members.
Best wishes,
Richard Balfe
David Cameron’s Envoy to the Trade Union Movement.
[...] Evans-Jacas, had defected to the Conservatives. Lambeth Tories have made a big fanfare of this, with a statement that only showed, if anything, that Betty would say anything to get into the Conservative group, [...]
The Labour reaction to this has been surprising and way over the top. The SLP reports that one Labour councillor ecribed Evans-Jacas as a “scab”.
Very 1970s!!!!!!
[...] smears directed at a new Conservative councillor in Brixton who converted to the Tories collapsed in shame today, exposing Labour as the “nasty party” of South [...]
Such inspiring integrity from Betty to embrace compassionate conservatism, it is an example to us all!
[...] party, the traditional route for crossing the chamber floor in Lambeth is to go from red to blue. Betty Evans-Jacas did just that last year (before going on to lose her council [...]
The labour party that we know some 20 years ago is not thesame and its not what you think it is. This organisation is so bold that it has enshrined corruption in its rule book. For example, you are not allowed to critice a fellow party member in the public. So if a labour party member is found wanting, all that he gets is a slap on the wrist. So out goes opennes and transparency and welcome corruption and cover up etc.
The huge deficits that faces us was the making of the labour party and its corrupt members. Some of these labour Cllrs had become secret millionaires but the public now would have to pay for this….. this is an unfair situation.
[...] The reasons for the Vassall ward councillor losing the whip of the local @LambethLabour party have some parallels with Betty Evans-Jacas, the former Labour councillor for Brixton Hill, who walked across the chamber to join the Tories. [...]
[...] of a Full Conduct Hearing relates back to the decision of (then) Councillor Betty Evans-Jacas to defect from @LambethLabour to the Tories back in October of [...]