Five Birmingham councillors who left Labour in the 18 months since election victory
It’s been nearly 18 months since Labour took power with a huge majority at last year’s general election.
But there was no honeymoon period either nationally or locally in Birmingham, where the city council found itself engulfed by a financial crisis in 2023.
Things have got no easier for the city’s ruling Labour leadership, with four city councillors quitting the party in the past week saying they had concerns about the direction of the council.
A joint statement from councillors Amar Khan, Mohammed Idrees, Chaman Lal and Rinkal Shergill said the authority had “suffered a series of serious, avoidable, and deeply damaging failures”.
In particular, they pointed to “unreliable” bin collections; the equal pay debacle; the disastrous implementation of a new IT system and “deteriorating” services.
Their departure from the party came just months before the council’s all-out election next May, where all seats will be up for grabs.
At a national level, the four councillors also said they were concerned by the party’s stance on Gaza.
“This has not been an easy decision,” they said. “It comes after deep reflection and is made with clear consciences and a shared commitment to the people we serve.”
Coun John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council, meanwhile told the BBC he was “disappointed” with the decision and the council remained “firmly” focused on delivering for the people of Birmingham.
“Working hand in hand with our Labour mayor and Labour government, we’re already turning the tide after 14 years of Tory decline,” he said.
“Labour is ambitious for Birmingham, and I look forward to working with our fantastic fresh team of Labour candidates to win in 2026 and secure a fairer future for our city.”
But Khan, Idrees, Lal and Shergill are not the only councillors who have left the Labour Party in the past year-and-a-half.
Martin Brooks
Harborne councillor Martin Brooks had been at odds with Labour before he quit the party towards the end of last year.
He had grown frustrated with the council’s plans for libraries and day centres while also criticising mistakes which contributed to the authority’s financial turmoil, such as the equal pay fiasco.
“As a result of these failures we are facing nothing short of the destruction of the social fabric of our city,” he argued.
A Birmingham Labour spokesperson said at the time: “Coun Brooks was suspended from the Labour Party and investigations into his conduct were ongoing. He has decided to leave the party before those investigations were concluded.”
Coun Brooks denied any wrongdoing.
Sam Forsyth
A full council meeting this year saw Coun Sam Forsyth confirm she had quit the Labour Party over the council’s pest control charge for rats – dubbed a ‘rat tax’ by critics.
Forsyth, who represents Quinton, told the council chamber: “I oppose that charge and as of ten minutes ago, I am no longer a member of the Labour Party.”
The council’s unprecedented budget last year included plans to introduce new pest control charges for ‘rat treatments’ – a service which was previously free.
Coun Forsyth, who defied the council’s Labour leadership and voted against this year’s budget, criticised the charge earlier in 2025, saying: “For what I hope are obvious reasons, nobody wishes to see this city overrun with rats.”
A council spokesperson previously said the charge was “far less than the cost to deliver the service and that charged by some neighbouring local authorities”.
“People can also purchase and treat themselves, as supplies are readily available in shops and online,” they added.
The council’s rat treatments are currently free of charge as the bins strike continues to drag on.
Coun Forsyth is now a member of Harborne and Quinton Independents, along with Coun Brooks.
Jane Jones and Barbara Dring
Councillors Barbara Dring and Jane Jones confirmed they were currently sitting as independent councillors after leaving Labour.
Coun Dring, who joined the council in 2004, wrote on social media: ”I continue to support and represent the residents of Oscott for case work and my surgeries remain the same.”
“To residents of Stockland Green I can confirm I have resigned from the Labour Party but will continue as your councillor,” Coun Jones said on X, formerly Twitter.
Labour had deselected both councillors, with the party going for alternative new candidates in their seats for next year’s local elections.
Shabina Bano
Coun Bano, who represents the Small Heath ward, quit Labour and joined the Liberal Democrats last year following a dispute with her former party.
Earlier this year, a standards committee meeting concluded that councillor Saqib Khan showed a “pattern of behaviour which failed to treat Coun Bano with respect” in 2022.
She said in a statement: “Everyone in the party knows how I’ve been treated and to this day, many of my former Labour colleagues have quietly offered support and sympathy.”
In a statement issued after Coun Bano’s decision to switch parties, a spokesperson for Birmingham Labour said last year: “We are committed to building an open and diverse group where all members are valued, and misogyny and bullying is not tolerated.
“Measures have been taken over the last year within the group and across the council to ensure member safety and wellbeing is properly addressed.
“Where group members have raised concerns regarding these issues they are escalated through the proper channels, whether within the party or the council, for investigation.
“We are committed to working with a Labour Government and a Labour Mayor to deliver for every community in this city.
“Let’s not forget the Liberal Democrats propped up the Conservatives and paved the way for 14 years of austerity that threatened to destroy the social fabric of our country.”
Labour politicians have in the past highlighted how demand led pressures and funding cuts from the previous Conservative government have played a role in the council’s financial woes.
