A Greenwich councillor has resigned from the Labour Party, saying that she “cannot look residents in the eye” following the government’s cuts to social security benefits.
Majella Anning, who was elected in Creekside ward in 2022, will now sit as an independent.
Anning said that Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, had confirmed in Wednesday’s spring statement that “the poorest in our society will be made to pay the price for a failing economy”.
Reeves cut the social security budget by £4.8 billion, which included an additional £500 million of cuts added at the last minute. Official figures showed that three million households could lose £1,720 a year in benefits, while an additional 250,000 people – including 50,000 children – could be living in relative poverty by the end of the decade.
In a statement shared with The Greenwich Wire and published below, Anning said: “I cannot look my local residents in the eye while representing a party that will not hear their cries of desperation. I cannot support a party which accepts gifts from millionaires only to enact policies that take away vital funds from the disabled.
“I see residents in my ward who are already on the breadline. How can I defend the actions of the Labour government when I know exactly what misery these welfare cuts are going to mean for them?
“I refuse to support a party that balances the books on the backs of the poor.”
Reeves told Sky News that she was “absolutely certain” that people would not be pushed into poverty as a result of her cuts in spending.
Anning said she would continue to serve until the council election in May next year as an independent. Creekside ward covers parts of west Greenwich and Deptford, including the Meridian Estate next to the Cutty Sark and the Hughes Field Estate just north of Deptford High Street. It has one other councillor, Labour’s Calum O’Byrne Mulligan.
A number of Labour councillors across the country have quit the party in response to the government’s decision to cut social security spending, including the deputy leader of Rotherham Council in South Yorkshire and the deputy leader of the Labour group on Kent County Council. Nine councillors in Dudley, in the West Midlands, have also walked out.
Before going into local politics, Anning was a journalist and human rights campaigner. She joined Labour nine years ago and was previously chair of the Greenwich West branch party.
Unusually among Labour councillors in Greenwich, Anning has not been afraid to be outspoken. In her acceptance speech after being elected she specifically thanked “the security guards, the cleaners, the people who work in the toilets, the people who have kept us going through the pandemic. I would like my vote to be considered a vote for the workers, who are often not considered as much as they should be.”
She has supported protesters who want the town hall to take a stronger line on Israel’s war in Gaza, and in June 2023 she warned Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan that his Silvertown Tunnel – which opens in 11 days’ time – was a “ticking timebomb”.
Anning said of the tunnel, which will have a dedicated lane for HGVs and was originally supported by Greenwich: “When residents see the container lorries and the juggernauts going past their front doors and going very close to their children’s playgrounds at school, they will ask us, did you know this was going to happen? What did you do about it? History can be very unforgiving.”
Labour still dominates the chamber at Woolwich Town Hall with 50 councillors, against four Tories and with Anning now sitting as an independent.
The council leader, Anthony Okereke, told The Greenwich Wire: “It is deeply disappointing that Cllr Anning – who was elected on a Greenwich Labour manifesto of a greener, fairer and more prosperous borough – has chosen to reject that vision and sit as an independent.
“From building record numbers of council homes to ensuring that every child gets the best start in life, Greenwich Labour are getting on with the job of building a borough of fairness, opportunity and equality.”
Story updated at 4pm with response from Anthony Okereke.
Majella Anning: ‘Why I have left the Labour Party’
Politics is about priorities. When economic times are tough, a compassionate society strains every sinew to protect the weak.
But now that the chancellor of the exchequer has confirmed that the poorest in our society will be made to pay the price for a failing economy, I have resigned from the Labour Party and will sit as an independent councillor.
I cannot look my local residents in the eye while representing a party that will not hear their cries of desperation. I cannot support a party which accepts gifts from millionaires only to enact policies that take away vital funds from the disabled.
Councillors see poverty close up. We visit people’s homes to see how we can help them. They come to our councillor surgeries to plead for help.
The Department of Work and Pensions’ official impact assessment states that the cuts announced this week to disability and health benefits will result in an additional 250,000 people (including 50,000 children) falling into poverty. This is on top of the 4.3 million children already living in poverty in this country.
An estimated one million people will lose their personal independence allowance as a result of a more rigid eligibility system, a benefit that actually helps keep many in their jobs. Tighter rules will mean 150,000 carers losing their carer’s allowance.
Many economists say the cuts won’t even save money, as those affected will have to turn to councils and the NHS for help.
I see residents in my ward who are already on the breadline. How can I defend the actions of the Labour government when I know exactly what misery these welfare cuts are going to mean for them?
Labour has already refused to lift the previous Tory government’s outrageous two-child benefit limit sentencing millions of children to poverty. Labour abolished the winter fuel allowance for pensioners in a country that has the highest energy costs in Europe. The health and disability cuts will be the final straw for many.
But it didn’t have to be this way. While any reforming Labour government has to raise new revenue to avoid austerity cuts, there are more progressive alternatives. Foremost among these is raising a wealth tax on the richest 1% in our society.
Our own University of Greenwich has carried out valuable research on the best way to impose a wealth tax on the mega rich.
Tax Justice UK estimates a 2 per cent levy on individuals with assets worth more than £10 million would raise £24 billion a year. Equalising the tax on investment income with that of earned income could bring in £14 billion a year. Abolishing the extra tax relief for the wealthy on their pension contributions could bring in £13 billion a year.
These are choices the Labour government should have made. I refuse to support a party that balances the books on the backs of the poor. I will, of course, continue to serve my residents as an Independent councillor for the remainder of my term while advocating for the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable in our community.
Majella Anning, independent councillor, Greenwich Creekside ward, Royal Borough of Greenwich
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