Our 2026 local election campaign in London
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ALB – “if you want reforms you might as well vote for a party that has a chance of getting elected and so in a position to implement some.”
The state will only implement reforms that benefit the working class (to a certain extent) if it can afford to do so (if the economy is booming, which it isn’t).
Also, I wonder how many people voted for us because they thought we were SPEW.
BBC News. Reports that there are going to be by-elections, Lambeth x 2
The BBC article states that by-elections may cost up to £250,000. This is thoroughly distasteful bringing up the cost of running a democracy.
As an aside. The BBC has announced a savings plan of £600m with around 2,000 jobs losses. Perhaps the author of the article should be culled. KarmaGreen by-elections may cost up to £250,000 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze2j7wjw0no
One of the newly-elected Green councillors is Michael Chessum who describes himself as a “socialist writer and activist”. He is the author of a book called This is Only the Beginning. The Making of a New Left, From Anti-Austerity to the Fall of Corbyn.
In this Lambeth Green Party election video on Instagram he says (he’s the last one on):
“We’ll fight to reverse austerity, empowering workers and the community we serve.”
(https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXuCReljFxt/ )
Of course fighting to reverse austerity is not the same as actually reversing it. In fact in his book he describes the fight to reverse austerity in the period 2010-15 and writes of “the defeat of the anti-austerity movement” (p. 104). He attributes this to the movement not having an effective political expression because the Labour Party and the TUC didn’t take up the fight. Presumably he now thinks that the Green Party will. He doesn’t consider the possibility that “austerity” is necessary and even built in under capitalism and that’s why the movement against it failed.
In his statement last June announcing that he was joining the Green Party he wrote:
“In the coming years, there will be mass movements against austerity and the wider policy of the Labour government. The Greens’ strong internal democracy will be a boon, allowing movements to shape and own the Greens from the bottom up. Social and industrial struggle must be viewed as a primary method for doing politics. Without a mobilised local community, left wing councillors will be fighting a losing battle. Without a mass movement engaged in something other than electioneering, electoral projects lack a legacy.” (https://leftfootforward.org/2025/06/michael-chessum-why-im-joining-the-green-party/)
It looks as if we are going to have a ring-side seat, from Head Office in Lambeth, to see an attempt to mobilise “the local community” here “to fight to reverse austerity”.
Mind you, the first thing Councillor Chessum will have to do is to convince his fellow Green councillors who don’t regard themselves as “socialists” to go along with this. Otherwise, on his own admission, he will be fighting a losing battle. Not that he won’t be anyway.
Councillor Chessum has just been appointed Cabinet member for “Economy, Cost of Living and Empowered Communities”. It’s going to be interesting to see how he handles this and instructive to see what happens.
Meanwhile London Branch are considering standing a candidate in one of the by-elections the date for which has now been fixed as Thursday 9 July. It would be the one in Clapham Park which is next door to one we contested on 7 May and a part of which is within walking distance of our Head Office.
The Executive Committee has given London Branch the go-ahead to contest the Clapham Park by-election on Thursday 9 July. We have completed the nomination papers except for the signature of one of the two electors nominating our candidate; the sympathiser prepared to sign is currently out of the country but will be back on Tuesday. After they have signed we will formally hand the papers in to the Returning Officer by the deadline of 12 June.
There is by-election in another ward on the same day which we will not contest but, if we have time, we might leaflet suggesting that those who want socialism write this on their ballot paper.
These will be hotly contested by-elections, especially in Clapham Park where two of the three councillors elected in May were Labourites. The Greens have put out an appeal to Green Party members in the rest of London to come and help, as here:
“Dear London Greens, Lambeth Council hangs by a thread. The Greens, on 27 councillors, have a majority of just ONE over the Labour Group. Two by-elections on 9 July will decide the fate of the council for the next 4 years. We cannot do this alone. Green Party Lambeth.”
If nothing else, this will mean more local and even London coverage and more political activity in the two wards, with being in a position to make our voice heard at least in Clapham Park.
The nomination papers for our candidate were handed in at Lambeth Town Hall and accepted this afternoon. We won’t know who the other candidates are till after nominations close on Friday at 4pm.
So far only the Greens and Labour have named their candidates. The Greens have already started canvassing.
We now know who our opponents are: the Gang of Five and the Christian Peoples Alliance
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