Labour councillor defects to Conservatives in row over Sadiq Khan and public safety
A Labour councillor defects to Conservatives in Westminster this week, narrowing the party’s majority and deepening the divide over the direction of local politics in central London. Paul Fisher, who has represented West End ward since 2022, said his decision was driven by “stagnation, security and Sadiq” in a pointed criticism of the Mayor of London and his priorities.
The switch leaves Labour clinging to a fragile majority of just two seats on the council, with 28 councillors to the Conservatives’ 26. One more defection, or a slip in a by-election, would create a deadlocked 27-27 split, an unusually precarious situation for a party currently in control.
Speaking about his reasons for leaving, Councillor Fisher described growing unease with the direction of both local and national policy. “The Conservative Party in Westminster has shown me they are listening,” he said, “and they have a passion for finding pragmatic answers to problems of our city.”
His post on X (formerly Twitter) praised the “Westminster Conservative team here in the heart of our great capital” and expressed excitement about continuing to work for residents under a different political banner. The shift follows months of private concern, which Fisher says began last July amid worries over central government borrowing and perceived lack of local focus.
The West End ward has already experienced political turbulence. Tim Barnes recently regained a seat for the Conservatives in February after Labour’s Jessica Toale stepped down and became the MP for Bournemouth East. A further by-election in Vincent Square saw the Tories take another seat from Labour, with Reform UK also making a small but noticeable dent in the vote share.
Fisher’s criticism extended directly to Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom he accused of prioritising high-profile but superficial projects, such as plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, over tackling the rise in crime. “Vanity projects don’t make London safer,” he said.
Council leader Adam Hug expressed his disappointment over the defection but reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to “standing up for local residents” and focusing on growing the economy and improving public services.
With just a few months until the next mayoral election, the political tone in Westminster seems to be sharpening. The shift also raises questions about the long-term direction of London’s political leadership and how local issues like crime, development, and infrastructure investment will shape voters’ decisions.
You can learn more about how local government works by visiting the Local Government Association.
Further insight into how city issues are shifting across boroughs, can be read at EyeOnLondon’s recent article on gentrification.
For more updates on London council politics and Westminster ward changes, visit EyeOnLondon Westminster. We’d love to hear your views in the comments.
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