Southwark gains another Green Party councillor from Labour

Socialist and community activist councillor Reginald Popoola has joined the Green Party. He becomes the Green Party’s third new Southwark Council councillor in three months. Councillors Kath Whittam and Sam Foster joined the party, also from Labour, in November and December 2025.

Popoola will now serve as a Green Party councillor and will stand in May’s elections for the Rye Lane Ward. He promises to continue to work hard for the local community and work collaboratively with colleagues and councillors across all other parties for the benefit of all residents.

Southwark born and raised

In Popoola’s resignation letter to Labour group leader Sarah King he described himself as a Black working class born and raised resident of Southwark. Referring to Labour policies under Keir Starmer, he says he’s seen first-hand:

the damage that these actions have on our diverse communities in Southwark.

In the letter Popoola speaks of residents who feel Labour has turned its back on improving the fundamentals of people’s lives, instead choosing to protect those at the top while those at the bottom pay the price. Popoola attended local schools and has a legal background with local authorities.

Popoola said:

I have made the decision to join the Green Party as its core values of social justice, ecological
sustainability and genuine member engagement more closely align with my principles and the
future I want to build not only in Southwark but across the UK.

He added that while Labour promised hope and change when it took power in 2024, by 2026 that promise has proven hollow. He said the Greens now offer the real change Southwark’s communities have been calling for.

Southwark Green Party council leader Foster said:

Reginald is an incredibly hard-working and talented Councillor who I am proud to call a friend. This is a huge loss for Labour, which has turned against Southwark communities through its racist
attacks on migrants, pro-developer housing policy, and threats to defund local services. The Greens represent everyone facing high bills and insecure or substandard housing, and we believe local services should be high-quality and properly funded. Cllr Popoola will be a powerful champion for the better future that the Greens are working to deliver for Southwark residents.

Green Party councillor surge

Popoola is part of the “Green Wave” of councillors defecting to the Green Party across the UK. He’s the third councillor to leave Labour in Southwark after what was dubbed the ‘summer of chaos’ in the Southwark Labour Party. Labour Party HQ removed democratically elected leader, primary school teacher James McAsh, and replaced him with property developer lobbyist King. Local trade unions described the process as “an assault on party democracy“.

The Green Party’s national membership has surged since September 2025, from 68,000 on 2 September 2025, to 184,000 as of 17 December 2025. This surpasses the reported membership of the Conservative Party and is more than double that of the Liberal Democrats.

Kelly Shields, Co-Chair of the Southwark Green Party said:

It is fantastic to welcome Reginald Poopola to the Green Party in Southwark. This is only the beginning of the Green surge in our borough. Reginald is our third councillor to join in three months – momentum is building, local and national membership is at an all time high and we have set our sights on the May elections and getting some big wins.

Popoola’s resignation letter

Councillor Reginald Popoola

Resignation letter

Dear Sarah,

I have today decided to resign from the Labour Party and relinquish my deputy cabinet role effective immediately.

It has been a difficult decision to take after considerable reflection. I wish to thank my local party for nurturing me into the person I am today and special thanks to my ward colleague Cllr Gavin Edwards who has taught me a lot in the role, alongside the friends I made along the way.

I am honoured to have served Nunhead and Queens Road ward since 2022, a place where I was born and raised. Considerable local wins include the creation of various road safety measures in troubled hotspots, increased street cleaning and the saving of local bus routes which are vital to residents.

However, I cannot in good conscience continue to be a member of the Labour Party. From demonising migrants for political gain, continued austerity hurting the most vulnerable and the rigging of internal Southwark Council elections, the party has turned its back to the many in favour of the few.

I am a black working class man from Southwark who has seen the damage that these actions have on our diverse communities in Southwark. Our residents know that Labour has turned their back on improving the fundamentals of their lives, loading on harm to those at the bottom in favour of those at the top.

I have made the decision to join the Green Party as its core values of social justice, ecological
sustainability and genuine member engagement more closely align with my principles and the future I want to build not only in Southwark but across the UK.

I will continue to serve the rest of my term as a Green Councillor and will stand in 2026 for the Greens in Rye Lane Ward.

The Green Party offers a message of real hope and change that residents cried out for years and which the Labour Party promised when they came to power in Westminster in 2024. In 2026, Labour have shown that the hope they promised was a facade. The Labour Party have disappointed people like me, but the Greens advocate for the change that our communities so desperately need.

Vote Green 💚

Cllr Reginald Popoola