Southwark Labour backs failing Labour government

Southwark Labour councillors last night voted against a Liberal Democrat motion declaring that the Council has no confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

The motion set out a pattern of chaos and inconsistency from the Labour Government since taking office – including a series of scandals, broken promises and repeated U-turns on major policies.  

It highlighted controversies involving senior Labour figures, including questions around Rachel Reeves and breaches of local landlord licensing rules, as well as the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson to a senior ambassadorial role despite his well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein.  

The motion also pointed to a string of policy reversals – from abandoning plans to delay local elections, to scaling back digital ID proposals, climbing down on welfare reforms, and reversing course on the two-child benefit cap only after pressure from the Liberal Democrats.  

Locally, the impact is already being felt. Southwark faces an £80 million budget gap over the next three years, while housebuilding has stalled dramatically – with just 69 homes started in 2025 following only 1 the year before.  

The motion further warned that a “tax on jobs” is hitting independent local businesses, and that disillusionment within Labour ranks is growing – with eight Southwark Labour councillors resigning from the party, citing cuts that would “devastate local services.”  

Despite this, Labour councillors voted against the motion. 

Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Leader of the Opposition, said: 

“This government is mired in scandal, lurching from one U-turn to the next, and people here in Southwark are paying the price. 

We’re seeing the consequences locally: fewer homes being built, an £80 million black hole in the council’s finances, and real pressure on services residents rely on every day. 

Last night showed that Labour councillors simply won’t stand up to their own party – even when it’s letting residents down. 

Only the Liberal Democrats are willing to take on this failing Labour government, and only the Liberal Democrats have shown we can beat Labour here in Southwark and deliver the change residents are crying out for.”