Thanet District Councillor Abi-Leigh Barlow has quit the Conservatives to join Labour.
Elected last May as a Conservative councillor for Thanet Villages ward she will now sit as a Labour councillor and a member of the majority Labour Group.
Cllr Barlow said: “I joined the Conservative Party because I thought that, after years of chaos, Rishi Sunak would get our country on the right track. But since being elected as a Conservative councillor last May, I have felt increasingly ashamed of the way the Conservative Party is treating the people of Britain.
“The people that I represent, and people around the country, deserve so much more. We need change. And it is clear to me that only the Labour Party and Keir Starmer can bring that change. So I am proud to be joining the Labour Party, and the Labour Group on Thanet District Council, to continue delivering for the people of Thanet.
“I look forward to working hard over the next few months to deliver a Labour government and to change our country for the better.”
Cllr Rick Everitt, Labour Leader of Thanet District Council, said: “I am delighted to welcome Cllr Barlow to the Labour Group today. She is a hard-working local councillor and I look forward to working with her to improve things for the residents of Thanet Villages ward and for everyone in the district.
“This is further proof that the Conservatives no longer represent working people. After 14 years of failure, it is time for change, and the only way to deliver such change is with a Labour administration on Thanet District Council working with a Labour Government in Westminster.”
Thanet’s Conservative group leader Cllr Reece Pugh said: “We are saddened to hear that Cllr Barlow has decided to leave the Conservative Group, we have tried to support her where we can to ensure that this situation didn’t happen.
“However, we made it clear that attendance at council meetings and parish council meetings are vital in being an elected representative and from our understanding, even though the support was there, Cllr Barlow, has not managed to attend the required meetings.
“We are saddened for the residents of Thanet Villages Ward as well – they elected a Conservative councillor to represent them and we believe this should still be so.”
There are currently 56 Thanet district councillors, now made up of: 31 Labour; 16 Conservative; 5 Green; 3 Thanet Independents and 1 Independent.
Don’t trust her, there is a spy in the camp.
Not right.
That’s a lot of loyalty there,misguided person .If a person swaps side a by -election should be next thing
Brilliant and smart woman, she’s done the right thing
Brilliant indeed – she knew that the Thanet villages would never have voted Labour, so she cunningly deceived them.
Still, serves me right for being so shallow: I only voted for her because of her looks!
😂🤣😂😀Priceless one ,Ms. Pink!
A fairly straightforward move. Can we specify any policies in which the national Parties of Labour and Tory really differ? Locally, I can see that Thanet Labour are actually trying to create or buy homes that are within the finances of local people. So THAT is a genuine difference to the local Tories.
But we are talking about very small numbers of homes as local Council finances are controlled by Tory policies at Westminster so little money is made available from the government.
And the Labour Party keeps banging on about how there,s no money available so we can t expect much change there.
Regardless of the party supported, no sitting politician should be allowed to simply swop parties mid-term. Most people have probably voted for the Party she should have been representing, not for another. Should be a by-election for the Ward especially as no imminent Local Council elections.
Neither do the villages vote Pink.
Not really good for democracy.Cllrs should maintain discipline or resign,and not jump ship.
We agree on something then.
Labour are welcome to her. She’s too “busy” to attend half the meetings.
https://democracy.thanet.gov.uk/mgAttendance.aspx?UID=9938
You’re a bit obsessed aren’t you Ms ‘Pink’..
Obsessed with lazy, lying, cheating, local politicians who don’t give a damn about the people who voted for them?
Probably.
Checks out as to why you’re a tory supporter then.. they fit your narrative beautifully!!
I voted Green in the last KCC elections. Not that it’s any of your business, son.
Maybe she was just lonely ? 😊
Well done her I can well understand having mixed with the Tories she now knows what we have always known about them.
To quote the late, great Patricia Hayes, “Happiness is egg shaped”.
i expect a few more to defect rather than being thrown on the scrapheap at the next general election.
Any Councillor switching party between scheduled elections should have to personally pay the costs of a by election which should be held as a matter of course.
There’s no way the villages would have voted in a Labour candidate and I am guessing the electorate there aren’t happy at all.
She doesn’t care. No morals.
Dear Labour Party; trust her as far as you can throw her.
She searched her conscience & maybe saw the diabolical deterioration in people’s standards of living. But is Starmer’s party the answer? No difference between them. The Greens seem to be the only party who will commit renationalise essential services. How great it will be not to worry about the risk of swimming in sewage & getting gastroenteritis!
So her conscience didn’t prevent her from standing as a Conservative candidate last year despite the wrecking ball the Tories have taken to the country since they took power ?
I think the reality is that she was genuinely surprised she got voted in and then struggled with the commitment of actually representing her Ward. The Conservatives laid out their expectations of what she should be doing and she has fled to Labour for an easier life.
Esme, you should come to Ramsgate Main Sands-it’s usually fine to swim there.
Any thoughts on her moving from Conservatives to Labour? Should she stand down?
You’ve got a lot of nerve to say that you’re a friend. You just want to be on the side that’s winning.
Reform UK would have been better, as Labour repeatedly make a mess of things. But there should be a by election.
A Traitor to the people who voted for her should do the right thing and resign her seat then stand for the party she wants to represent but NO a typical coward.
“Cllr Barlow said: “I joined the Conservative Party because I thought that, after years of chaos, Rishi Sunak would get our country on the right track. But since being elected as a Conservative councillor last May, I have felt increasingly ashamed of the way the Conservative Party is treating the people of Britain.”
The above statement is more worrying than her fairweather politics. She has such poor judgement that she looked at Rishi Sunak and thought, “yep, that’s the man to get the job done and fix Britain.” Possibly one of the most ludicrous statements a Thanet councillor has made in recent years and, let’s be honest, competition is stiff in that category.
Do Thanet a favour, stand down and give your ward a by-election. Constituents deserve infinitely better than someone who’d have taken a look at the Titanic, post-iceberg collision and thought, “hmmm, they look like they’re having fun, winch me aboard.”
Regardless of how great or bad Sunak is, he became PM on 25 October 2022; Abi-Leigh Barlow became a Conservative cllr on 05 May 2023. So, if what she claims is true (and I have my doubts), she was put up for election just over 6 months after joining the party! Surely they could’ve found someone with a bit more experience???
Heavens forbid somebody who had just graduated from school wanted to get involved with the local area and politics to strive for a better future.
It’s hilarious really, you’ve been going on and on about her and yet you said yourself you voted her in.
So what? You regret it so much that you have to spend your whole day commenting on it? And you said she has no morals….
Did you really think I was serious when I said “I only voted for her because of her looks!”?
As for my “whole day” making comments, that’s probably more time in total than she gave her constituents.
Did you know she’s a full time Uni student too, on top of spending time with other personal things? She did turn up to meetings, by the way, I would know!!
And yes, your whole day. You made multiple comments throughout the day and even came back the next. You seem pretty obsessed with her, not to mention your clear backtracking now that you have been called out. Sad.
Oh do grow up! You’ve spent the last 2 days commenting on some under 25y/o’s choice to switch sides. Considering how obsessed you are with her, “Ms Pink” – you may recollect how she openly stated her mental health disorder on her campaign leaflets. This is a first for any candidate I’ve known of. To call her a liar and a cheat is just outright false – in-fact I’d say she’s too honest for her own good. I voted for her as a conservative candidate, but to be honest, I don’t care what party she stands for now, she’s the change and the openness that the villages have needed for decades. Say what you want, she’s a bloody good woman.
Graduated from school!!!!I didn’t realise that we were living in the U.S.A.,Greenie.You graduate ,after completing a degree,not G.C.S.Es.
God forbid somebody use different terminology that literally means the exact same thing Doris… bit pedantic aren’t you?
Doesn’t matter Tory or labour both are,will distory this country and blame the people for it. Time for a complete change of politics
The last 15 years have shown that it makes a HUGE difference whether Tory or Labour. Not suggesting Labour are perfect, far from it, but it is a lazy trope to suggest “they’re all as bad as each other” when one is clearly streets ahead in the awfulness stakes. Voter apathy like this is what awful politicians thrive on.
Too many racists in the Labour party for my liking (How many have been booted out today?).
And the Conservatives are a paragon of inclusivity and liberal values?
“I joined the Conservative Party,because I knew I had no chance of being elected as a Labour candidate”.Lower than a snake’s belly.Resign, and see if you get re-elected as a Labour candidate.I would trust her,as far as I could throw her
And you’re how old? What do you look like? I’d trust her a darn sight more than anyone in your bloodline if I had the choice. Comments like that are vile, especially over political opinions, where I could take a wager you hardly pay attention to any on a daily basis.
She’s less than 20, and already doing much better in life than you I’m fairly certain. How miserable you truly must be..
Maybe she’ll improve when she grows up.
Steady on Greenie.. she’s not that bad!
Defensive because I know her personally, and what the tory party has said about her is actually a bunch of crap. She does work regularly, talks to us about it even. She also turns up to uni consistently and she’s getting incredibly good grades.
Not that you will believe it anyway, because you’re oh-so against a teenager making a name and doing well for themselves.. but nonetheless, keep crying. I’ll be sure to tell her not to resign or pay anything back just to make your time here so much more worth it :)
So, TDC are lying about her attendance record, and a friend I’ve known for 30 years is lying about her lack of replies?? I think not.
As for young people getting involved in politics, I’m all for it… as long as they’re prepared to work hard when elected. Her “incredibly good grades” is of no interest to the people she’s made fools of.
Is it just young people who you expect to work hard in politics, Ms. Pink? Surely it is a basic expectation of all politicians to work hard, irrespective of age, no?
Thanet has always been blighted by useless, lazy and, all too frequently, criminal politicians. For as long as I can remember, it has been the middle-aged/older politicians who’ve done least, taken most and shown utter contempt for the electorate. You may not agree with Cllr Barlow’s decisions or politics (for clarity, neither do I), but let’s not make this something it isn’t.
Exactly, James – it was “Greenie” who excused her because of her age, not me.
I mentioned her age bevause you were blabbering on about “somebody who needs more experience”, and while that argument may hold true in some cases, it’s incredibly important for our youth to begin taking a stand and working toward the future, as that’s generally what change will be in.
It was also mentioned to highlight the fact that the cllr in question is currently doing OTHER things (such as doing well at uni- which means she’s working hard to clarify your statement from earlier) as well as working.
Also, yes, I totally believe you just so happen to have a friend who worked under the exact same person this post is about and you have been good friends for 30 years. What a totally legitimate happenstance. Meanwhile, I will continue to discuss and meet casually with SAID councillor herself, who I’m sure will know much more than you and your friend likely would about the ins and outs of her time with the tory party.
Also, religion isn’t an excuse to be a bigot, which is very clearly what you’re hinting to be.
Sorry, Ms. Pink, you said “As for young people getting involved in politics, I’m all for it… as long as they’re prepared to work hard when elected.” I appreciate Greenie may have mentioned age, but you’ve compounded the issue by either a) not making yourself clear or b) singling out younger people.
Greenie, I’d be prepared to repay the young woman’s allowance personally if it meant that Ms Pink aka Peter Checksfield stopped contributing his atrocious comments on this article.
Haha!
Okay? Feel free to take it up with her aunt then. Also, yes I am VERY much so saying that the TDC / tory party involved (or anyone affiliated with the tory party in general) are lying.