Councillor Alsayed Al-Maghrabi, who is Palestinian, has left the Labour Party and has joined the Green Group on Bristol City Council.

The Green Group now has 35 members, exactly half of the 70 seats on the council. Labour now have 19, Lib Dems 8, Conservatives 7, and 1 Independent.

Greens will now also have half the seats on the eight governing Policy Committees and are one councillor away from a majority.

Cllr Al-Maghrabi said, “While today I am leaving the Labour Party, this is only because it has become apparent over time that the party has left me. I no longer recognise the values of fairness, compassion and social justice that inspired me to join, values that I now recognise in the Green Party.

“From refusing to tax wealth, continuing to enable genocide, and echoing Reform’s divisive rhetoric on immigration, I and many others have been deeply disappointed with the direction of the national leadership.

“I will never stop standing up for equality, justice and the right to speak truth to power. These are the same principles that first brought me into public life, and principles that I now find in the Green Party. I am incredibly excited to join the Greens to put hope back into the politics of Bristol.”

Cllr Emma Edwards, Leader of the Green Group on Bristol City Council, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Cllr Maghrabi into the Green Group and are so pleased he has found a political home with us.  It is a brave thing to leave a party that no longer aligns with you and to stand up for what you believe in, and we have no doubt that Al will be a huge asset to our group.

“Through his speeches at full council, we have seen his passion on such issues as Palestine and social justice. Al is also a hard-working councillor who is well thought of by his community, and I am sure his residents will support him in making this move.”

The Green Party’s national membership now stands at over 150,000, surpassing the reported membership of the Conservative Party and more than double that of the Liberal Democrats. This latest milestone marks a doubling of members since Zack Polanski was elected Leader of the party last month. There are also now over 4500 Green Party members in Bristol.

Green Party Leader Zack Polanski is also set to visit Bristol on Monday, the 3rd of November, to host a ‘Q&A’ event with Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer at St George’s, which sold out in less than 4 hours.

Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said, “I am thrilled that Cllr Maghrabi has found hope again in the Green Party. He will be a huge asset to the Greens in Bristol, and we’re delighted to have him on board.

“Across the country, Labour members are turning away from a party that upholds the status quo of austerity, inequality and division and choosing a new kind of politics that offers a bold, hopeful vision of prosperity, equality and unity”.

“The Green Party is growing because we speak to the real challenges of this moment, and it’s clear that with our message, people can see that politics can be a force for good.

“So to Cllr Al-Maghrabi and all new members in Bristol and across the country, welcome to the Green Party.”

Carla Denyer, MP for Bristol Central, said, “I’m delighted to welcome Cllr Maghrabi to the Green Party and our growing movement – for a fairer society, an economy that works for everyone, and a safe future for our children.

“Cllr Maghrabi is one of many people across the country who have been badly let down by this Labour government and its failure to stand up for the 99%, migrants and refugees, and human rights across the world.

“I look forward to working with him in Bristol to improve the lives of all Bristolians and to fight for a fairer future for us all.”

 

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