#Bristol Councillor Defects from Labour to Green Party: Al-Maghrabi Slams Starmer Over Gaza and Immigration.
Frome Vale councillor abandons Labour over Gaza genocide policy and immigration rhetoric, leaving Greens one bog seat from a Bristol City Council majority.
(Credit: Bristol Post)
So a Bristol Labour councillor just defected to the Greens, and we’re supposed to pretend this is some kind of moral awakening. Alsayed Al-Maghrabi, who represents Frome Vale ward, says he joined the Labour Party seven years ago for “fairness, compassion and social justice”—you know, all those words politicians use right before they screw you over—and now he’s shocked, shocked, to discover that Labour under Keir Starmer is just Tory-lite with better branding.
Welcome to the party, pal. The rest of us figured that out the moment Starmer started his purge of anyone left of Margaret Thatcher.
Why Did Al-Maghrabi Leave Labour for the Green Party?
Al-Maghrabi’s got legitimate gripes. Labour’s Gaza policy is turning a blind eye while the UN calls it a genocide. And Labour’s response to Reform UK’s surging popularity? Copy their homework on immigration instead of standing for something different.
The Palestinian councillor criticised Labour’s “increasingly authoritarian approach” to Palestine protests in the UK, including banning Palestine Action despite historical precedents like the Suffragettes. The Bristol Cable has been covering activists subjected to repressive sanctions while awaiting trial. But those of us with old-fashioned ‘common sense’ wouldn’t have done anything to be on trial for in the first place. Oh, and also, because we simply don’t suit adult nappies now we’ve grown up.
But here’s where my nonsense detector explodes: his solution is to join the Bristol Greens?
Bristol City Council: Green Party One Seat From Majority. For The Rest Of Us, More Like One LTN Street Closer To Hell, And No Bloody Handcart!
He’s leaving Labour because they betrayed working-class principles. So naturally, he’s joining the party Bristol Labour accuses of proposing four-weekly bin collections! In England! Where it rains constantly and everyone’s got moldy bread after three days!
The same Greens who made “backroom deals with the Tories” to cancel council housing projects—you know, housing, that thing working-class people need. The same Greens running Bristol traffic schemes at 4 AM like covert military operations.
With Al-Maghrabi’s defection, Green Party Bristol now holds 35 seats on Bristol City Council—exactly half, one seat from a majority. Labour has just 19 seats after Fabian Breckels was suspended for racist Facebook comments. According to Bristol Live, this gives Greens unprecedented power.
Green Party Membership Surge Under Zack Polanski.
Green Party membership hit 150,000 members—more than the Conservatives, double the Lib Dems! Their new leader, Zack Polanski, has events selling out in just four hours, including his appearance at Bristol St George’s on November 3. People are desperate for any alternative and will flock to whoever hasn’t completely soiled themselves in public yet. Give them time. Give them power. Then we’ll see.
Here’s the thing about the Greens—they’re fantastic at being against things. Against war, fossil fuels, inequality. Beautiful sentiments. But when they actually govern? Suddenly, they’re making the same garbage compromises as everyone else, just with more self-righteousness and a hemp tote bag.
Labour vs Green Party: Who’s Right?
Labour says the Green Party leader’s NATO policy would “rip the UK out of NATO”—irresponsible and threatens national security. The Greens say Labour is enabling genocide in Gaza. They’re both probably right! That’s modern British politics 2025—everyone’s terrible in their own special way.
Your political choices are:
Labour: We’ll betray our principles but win elections
Green Party: Principles until power makes them negotiable
Conservatives: Not even pretending anymore
Reform UK: At least they’re honest, which is why they’re surging
Liberal Democrats: We’re still here! Hello?
What This Means for Bristol.
Councillor Emma Edwards welcomed Al-Maghrabi enthusiastically, praising his “passion for Palestine and social justice.” Al-Maghrabi’s leaving with “a heavy heart,” thanking local Labour colleagues. Translation: “It’s not you, it’s your morally bankrupt national leadership.”
Bristol Labour’s response? “People chose a Labour voice!” Right, and people chose Betamax, New Coke, and to believe politicians keep promises. People choose lots of things they regret.
Labour touted achievements: recognising Palestine, breakfast clubs in Frome Vale, free childcare, and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. All good! This makes their Gaza complicity and immigration rhetoric more bewildering.
Keir Starmer: Most Unpopular PM on Record.
Congratulations, Councillor Al-Maghrabi. You’ve left one dysfunctional party for another that just hasn’t had time to disappoint everyone yet. The Greens are one seat from a Bristol City Council majority. I’m sure that’ll fix everything.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer is the most unpopular prime minister since records began. Labour’s popularity has plummeted since the UK general election of 2024, particularly over clamping down on Palestine protests and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
That’s the real joke: we keep acting surprised when politicians do what they’re designed to do—whatever keeps them in power. The party doesn’t matter. The rhetoric doesn’t matter. The game is rigged, and switching teams doesn’t change the rules.
But hey, at least the Greens recycle—the same nonsense that’s equivalent to manning lifeboats in a kiddies paddling pool, rearranging deck chairs on a rubber dinghy, or bailing out the Titanic with a teaspoon while congratulating themselves for using sustainable bamboo.
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