Nottinghamshire Labour councillors quit to join Tories

Chris Baron and Lee Anderson both blamed left-wing campaign group Momentum for their decision to quit Labour

Two Labour councillors in Nottinghamshire have quit the party and joined the Conservatives.

Chris Baron and Lee Anderson, both Ashfield district councillors, blamed campaign group Momentum for their decision to defect to the Tories.

Mr Baron previously lead the Labour-run authority while Mr Anderson worked for Ashfield's Labour MP, Gloria De Piero.

The left-wing group Momentum was established to back Jeremy Corbyn's initial Labour leadership campaign.

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The pair were among more than 600 Labour councillors across the country who called on Mr Corbyn to stand down as leader of the party in 2016.

Mr Baron - who was suspended in 2016 for poor attendance at council meetings - now sits with the Conservative group on Ashfield District Council.

He said: "It is disappointing for me after over 30 years in the Labour Party, but the Labour Party is not the Labour Party I joined."

'Difficult decision'

Mr Anderson, who was handed a four-month suspension when he hired a digger and placed concrete blocks to stop travellers illegally camping in a car park, said: "The Labour Party has been taken over by the hard-left and Momentum in particular and I will play no part in that.

"It's been a very difficult decision to come to."

Ms De Piero thanked Mr Anderson, who was her office manager, but added: "If he has had a political change of heart and decided to leave the Labour Party and join the Conservatives, that's a matter entirely for him."

Labour leader of Ashfield District Council, Cheryl Butler, said: "The electorate put their faith in these people when they voted for them as Labour Party candidates, they have now let these residents down."

Following their change of party there are now five Conservative councillors on Ashfield District Council, with 18 Labour councillors remaining. Ashfield Independents have nine representatives and there are three independent councillors.