BREAKING: two senior Labour councillors defect to the Greens in Lewisham

Lewisham Green Party today, Sunday 22 March, announces the defection of two Labour councillors, Cllr Tauseef Anwar and Cllr Rudi Schmidt, who join the more than 50 new Green councillors who have defected to the party in the past few months.

Lewisham Green Party just doubled its councillors

The Green Party are forecasted to make significant gains in the May elections, including in Lewisham, where the Greens are also running to win the directly elected mayor campaign.

Cllr Tauseef Anwar, first elected in 2018, is a ward councillor for Crofton Park in Lewisham. He previously served as the Civic Mayor and Speaker for four years, and he also moved a motion to make Lewisham the first council to declare a climate emergency. Cllr Anwar also represented Lewisham at COP26 and has 14 years of experience in running net-zero and carbon reduction businesses. He is the founder of ANZI (Association of Net Zero Installers) and also served as Vice President of the London Mayors’ Association for two years (2022–24).

Cllr Rudi Schmidt, elected in 2022, is a Councillor for Evelyn ward in North Lewisham. He previously served as the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny for two years and most recently as a Cabinet Adviser. He has spearheaded efforts to develop a stronger local economy, support cooperatives, and increase skills. Cllr Schmidt has years of professional experience in working with young people and currently works for a Lewisham charity and heritage institution

Lewisham Green Party’s council group leader and mayoral candidate Cllr Liam Shrivastava said:

The green wave continues. I am absolutely delighted to welcome Cllr Anwar and Cllr Schmidt to the Green Party. They are both supremely talented, hard-working councillors that bring a wealth of experience to the Lewisham Green Group. Their decision to leave behind the managed decline of Labour to join the Greens shows the people of Lewisham that we have the vision, credibility and commitment to make real change.

Labour ‘no longer aligns’ with people’s values

Cllr Rudi Schmidt said:

After years serving Evelyn residents, I can no longer represent a party that has stopped aligning with my values. The Labour government has failed our community through continued austerity, welfare cuts affecting disabled people, and its complicity on the genocide in Gaza.

There is another way – the Greens have a plan to address structural inequality, to build local homes with local jobs, to deliver a genuinely caring economy. And only the Greens will challenge the national government, and advocate for fairer, greener country for everyone.

Cllr Tauseef Anwar said:

My decision to leave Labour did not start today. It began when Keir Starmer justified Israel cutting power and water to civilians in Gaza. This is why I have decided to join the Green Party, the only party I believe is now offering a genuine, consistent progressive voice, standing firm on climate, justice, and human rights.

I look forward to supporting Liam Shrivastava’s campaign the be the next Mayor of Lewisham and seeing us win multiple councillors across Lewisham.

Featured image via the Canary