Two former Labour council leaders join Greens

Leader of the Greens in Wales, Anthony Slaughter, welcomed both defections

Two former Labour council leaders have defected to the Green Party, it has said.

The first was Robert James, previously leader of the Labour group at Carmarthenshire council.

The other is Sean Morgan, who quit Labour during the Caerphilly by-election when he was authority leader there.

Welsh Labour has been asked to comment.

The announcements came during the Green Party's Welsh conference on Saturday, where it said it was celebrating almost tripling membership in two months.

It is hoping to win its first ever seat in the Senedd at next year's election.

Announcing Mr James' defection at the Cardiff conference, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "This will be the first of many councillors who we will be welcoming to the Wales Green Party."

Sean Morgan called the decision to join the Greens "easy"

The defections, he believed, showed momentum for the party was building.

He added: "More breakthroughs will follow."

Mr James said: "I have joined a party that puts people and this planet first - by tackling crippling inequality, protecting public services and safeguarding the future of our environment."

Mr Morgan dubbed the decision to join the Greens "easy".

He said: "It has become increasingly evident over recent months that the Labour Party no longer represents the values of ordinary party members or indeed ordinary people in the country, which has caused me to question the ethics of remaining in the Labour Party."

The Green Party's leader in Wales, Anthony Slaughter, welcomed both men to the party.

He said: "This truly demonstrates that we are the bold new voice that Wales so desperately needs.

"With the fully proportional Senedd voting system in May, this is another sign Greens will be pivotal in who runs the Welsh government next year."

The "political tectonic plates" were shifting in Wales, he said.

"Our membership in Wales has nearly tripled in two months, closing in on 6,000.

"Our call to make hope normal again has galvanized the public to action, and the momentum around the party is going to carry us into the Senedd in May."