Former Lib Dem launches new political party to 'challenge outdated system'

New party: Annabel Mullin
Pippa Crerar6 November 2017

A new political party will be launched this week and aims to persuade residents in its first electoral battle that it can tackle poor governance at Kensington and Chelsea council.

The party, Advance, hopes to capture the spirit of the En Marche movement in France which helped to propel Emmanuel Macron to the presidency this year.

Advance plans to field candidates in all 18 wards of the borough in May’s council elections, and has recruited a dozen potential candidates.

They will be led by Annabel Mullin, a former Liberal Democrat, with the aim of agitating for greater transparency and accountability within the council.

The new party is not the only one to have its eye on the Tory-held town hall, which has been under attack over its handling of the Grenfell Tower fire. Labour took the Kensington parliamentary seat at the general election in June, but local government experts believe the real threat could come from independents.

Advance, which will launch officially on Wednesday, says the narrow demands of party politics have served residents poorly and has pledged to work on behalf of all local people.

Party insiders said they had funding and high-profile backers in place. Ms Mullin, a former policewoman and now a magistrate, fought Kensington for the Lib Dems at the last election, but resigned after becoming disillusioned with party politics.

Her party will focus on improving housing in the borough as well as the home lives of residents. She is particularly critical of the council structure, where spending decisions are made by just eight of the 50 councillors.

She said: “My engagement with voters at the general election gave me an important insight into the local issues that face RBKC residents. They have been failed by an outdated system that favours party politics over what serves our diverse community.”

The response to the Grenfell Tower fire in June was branded a “disgrace” after figures showed that of the 203 families who lost their homes, 130 have not been permanently rehoused.

Labour MP David Lammy, who uncovered the figures using a written parliamentary question, said they should be a “source of shame” for the Government and local council.

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