Bolt to the blue as Labour councillor defects to Conservatives

A local Labour councillor has defected to the Conservatives after six years, arguing that the party “will not deliver economic growth”.

In an email sent at around 11pm last night, Cllr Shiva Tiwari told colleagues he was switching to the Tories.

In a post on the website of his new political home, Hampstead and Highgate Conservatives, the West Hampstead member fired a parting shot at Camden Labour – while also attacking the national party’s economic policy.

“Sadly the Labour Party has over several years moved away from the principles that matter to me – such as supporting family values, hard work, aspiration, cohesion, a vibrant private sector and good public services.

“This will not deliver the economic growth that our country so surely needs to raise living standards and provide opportunities for everyone.

“At the same time, Camden Labour has become so assured in its majority and defensive in its positions that we no longer have any democratic debate, just worsening services in areas like rubbish collection, roads and housing maintenance, and new property development management.”

Cllr Tiwari’s move comes in the week after a contentious debate where he abstained in a vote to change the Town Hall’s constitution, including banning flags and banners and shrinking the size of deputation groups.

But a Camden Labour source challenged his justification.

They told the Citizen that colleagues had “barely seen him in the group since the election anyway”.

“In his missives over the last few months, he has complained we are simultaneously betraying our Labour values, and also that we are basically communist,” they said.

“To be fair, I don’t think regular group attendees would recognise that there is ‘no debate’ on issues and policies.

“But given the situation that local government in general finds itself in, we haven’t got masses of room for manoeuvre.”

Cllr Tiwari will now stand as a Conservative candidate in the local elections next May.

Labour is expected to select its ward candidates for 2026 in July.

The Citizen has contacted him, and the Camden Leader’s office, for comment.