Hackney Council Labour Councillor Joins Greens What Happened

Councillor Soraya Adejare, representing Brownswood ward, defected from Labour to the Green Party during Hackney Council’s annual budget meeting on 4 March 2026. She cited dissatisfaction with both Conservative and Labour fiscal policies, stating that her 12-year-old daughter had seen no material benefits under either party. Her move preceded the Greens’ historic May 2026 election victory, which gave them control of Hackney Council for the first time.

Who is Soraya Adejare and what political role does she hold?

Soraya Adejare is a long-serving Hackney councillor who represented Brownswood ward from 2022 and previously Dalston ward from 2014 to 2022. She was deselected by Labour in 2025 despite 12 years of service, with no formal complaints or disciplinary record against her. Her political career spans over a decade in East London local government.

Soraya Adejare first entered Hackney Council in 2014 as a Labour councillor for Dalston ward. She served continuously until 2022, when she was elected to represent Brownswood ward. Her tenure covered significant periods of Conservative-led austerity at Westminster and Labour control at Hackney Town Hall.

In October 2025, Labour deselected Adejare from standing for re-election in the May 2026 local elections. Another long-serving councillor, Can Ozsen, faced the same fate. Both had served more than 10 years each. Adejare appealed the deselection decision unsuccessfully.

Adejare stated to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that her decision-making was questioned despite no complaints ever being made against her and no record of disreputable activities. She described the deselection process as unexplained after 12 years of service.

What triggered the defection from Labour to the Green Party?

Adejare’s defection stemmed from dissatisfaction with national Labour and Conservative fiscal policies, combined with her deselection from Labour’s candidate list. She announced that neither party’s approach met Hackney’s needs, despite available funding pots. Her crossing of the floor occurred during a council budget meeting.

The immediate context was Hackney Council’s annual budget meeting on 4 March 2026. Adejare used this platform to publicly announce her move to the Green Party. She walked across the council chamber to sit with the Greens during the proceedings.

Adejare cited 12 years of calling for more funding while recognising the damage done by Conservative fiscal approaches. However, she stated that the current Labour government’s approach also failed to meet Hackney’s needs. She emphasised that her 12-year-old daughter had seen no material benefits throughout her lifetime under either Conservative or Labour Westminster governments.

She warned that increasing spending cuts would mean her daughter’s generation would continue to see no material improvements. This intergenerational equity argument formed a core part of her public statement. She thanked Labour colleagues who had supported her through difficult times before making the move.

Can Ozsen, another deselected Labour councillor, resigned from the Labour Party in January 2026. He described Labour’s stance on immigration as hateful, xenophobic and dishonest. He stated that Labour had abandoned its core values and betrayed the people it was set up to defend.

How did the Green Party respond to Adejare joining their group?

The Hackney Green Party publicly welcomed Adejare, with mayoral candidate Zoë Garbett stating the move sent a clear message that residents deserve representatives who stand up for communities, not just follow party lines. The Greens framed her defection as validation of their community-focused approach.

Councillor Zoë Garbett, the Green Party’s Hackney mayoral candidate, issued a statement on the night of 4 March 2026. She expressed pride in welcoming Adejare to the Hackney Green Party. The statement positioned Adejare as an experienced voice aligned with Green values.

Garbett stated that Adejare’s move demonstrated that Hackney residents deserved representatives willing to prioritise communities over party discipline. This messaging aligned with the Greens’ broader campaign narrative about breaking from traditional party politics.

The Greens highlighted Adejare’s 12 years of experience and her record of advocacy for increased funding and community needs. Her presence in the Green group increased their representation on Hackney Council from four to five councillors at that point.

What was the political makeup of Hackney Council before and after the defection?

Before Adejare’s defection, Hackney Council had 43 Labour councillors, six Conservatives, four Greens, three Independent Socialists, and one Independent. After she crossed the floor, the Greens increased to five councillors while Labour dropped to 42. This shift occurred before the May 2026 elections.

Hackney became a London borough in 1965. Labour had controlled the council for 54 out of the 61 years up to 2026. The long-standing Labour dominance made any defection symbolically significant.

The council operated under a mayor and cabinet model, with a directly elected mayor since 2002. Labour had held the mayoralty continuously since its creation. The 2026 election cycle would contest all 57 council seats and the mayoral position.

Following the May 2026 local elections, the Greens won 42 of 57 seats. Labour fell to nine seats. The Conservatives retained six seats. This gave the Greens the highest proportion of seats the party had ever won in a principal local authority in the UK.

What were the results of the May 2026 Hackney local elections?

The Green Party won 42 of 57 seats on Hackney Council and secured the directly elected mayoralty with Zoë Garbett receiving 35,720 votes to Labour’s 26,865. Labour, which had held 50 seats after 2022, was reduced to nine. The Conservatives held six seats.

Zoë Garbett became the Green Party’s first directly elected mayor in London. She defeated Labour’s Caroline Woodley by nearly 9,000 votes. The mayoral result was announced on 7 May 2026.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared that two-party politics was dead and buried following the Hackney victory. He stated that the country had rejected the traditional Labour-Conservative dynamic. Polanski made these remarks in Hackney on election night.

Labour had been the dominant party on Hackney Council continuously since 1971. The 2026 result ended 55 years of uninterrupted Labour control. The Greens also achieved overall majorities in Norwich and Hastings, and took Waltham Forest from Labour.

The 57-seat composition after May 2026 gave the Greens 74 per cent of council seats. This represented the highest Green Party representation in any principal local authority in UK history. The result exceeded pre-election polling expectations.

Why are Labour councillors defecting to the Green Party across East London?

Fifty Labour councillors defected to the Green Party within six months ahead of the 7 May 2026 local elections, according to reporting. Deselection, policy disagreements on Gaza, immigration, and fiscal austerity drove the trend. East London became a focal point for Green gains.

National reporting indicated that Labour councillors feared a May wipeout and sought political survival through Green Party affiliation. The Greens positioned themselves as a viable left-wing alternative for disgruntled Labour representatives.

In Hackney specifically, deselection of long-serving councillors like Adejare and Ozsen created immediate defections. Both had served over 10 years without disciplinary issues. Their removal from Labour’s candidate list preceded their departures from the party.

Policy disagreements on immigration played a role. Ozsen described Labour’s stance as hateful and xenophobic. This reflected broader tensions within Labour’s coalition over migration policy and rhetoric.

The Gaza conflict influenced political alignments in East London. The Times described Hackney as a radical borough going Green over Gaza as Labour crumbled. Voter sentiment in the area turned against Labour’s position on the conflict.

Fiscal policy and austerity also motivated defections. Adejare emphasised that neither Conservative nor Labour approaches had delivered material benefits to her ward over 12 years. This intergenerational equity argument resonated with Green messaging.

What policy priorities did the Hackney Greens campaign on in 2026?

The Hackney Greens campaigned on rent controls, increased council funding, climate action, and opposition to austerity-driven spending cuts. Their platform targeted housing affordability and public service investment. Zoë Garbett led a London Rent Commission initiative in 2024.

Zoë Garbett built her political profile around rent control advocacy. She led a grassroots London Rent Commission initiative that challenged Mayor Sadiq Khan to embrace city-wide rent caps in 2024. Housing costs in Hackney saw renters paying half their salary for modest accommodation.

Climate and environmental policy formed a core Green priority. The party’s national platform emphasised decarbonisation, public transport investment, and green jobs. Local implementation focused on air quality, waste reduction, and sustainable housing standards.

Opposition to austerity remained central. Adejare’s statement highlighted 12 years of calls for more funding against Conservative fiscal damage. The Greens positioned themselves as the anti-austerity alternative after Labour’s perceived accommodation of Westminster spending cuts.

Community representation and breaking party discipline were recurring themes. Garbett’s statement on welcoming Adejare emphasised standing up for communities rather than following party lines. This message resonated with voters frustrated by traditional party politics.

What implications did Adejare’s defection have for East London politics?

Adejare’s defection signalled weakening Labour dominance in East London and validated the Greens’ viability as a left-wing governing alternative. It preceded a broader wave of Labour-to-Green defections across the region. The move contributed to narrative momentum for the Greens.

The defection occurred during a period of intensifying Labour vulnerability in East London boroughs. Lewisham also saw the Greens end decades of Labour supremacy in the May 2026 elections. Waltham Forest fell to the Greens as well.

Hackney’s shift influenced neighbouring boroughs’ political calculations. The Greens’ 42-seat majority in Hackney demonstrated that a third party could achieve governing control in a major London borough. This altered strategic thinking for activists and candidates across East London.

The defection reinforced the narrative that Labour faced a left-wing challenge from the Greens, not just a right-wing challenge from Reform UK. This two-front pressure reshaped Labour’s campaign resource allocation and policy positioning in 2026.

Local media framed the Hackney result as part of a broader East London realignment. The Greens’ gains in Hackney, Lewisham, and Waltham Forest represented a coherent regional shift rather than isolated anomalies.

What historical context explains Labour’s long dominance in Hackney?

Labour controlled Hackney Council for 54 out of 61 years from 1965 to 2026, and held continuous control from 1971 to 2026. The borough’s working-class demographics, trade union presence, and public sector employment underpinned Labour’s base. The 2026 Green victory broke this pattern.

Hackney became a London borough in 1965 under its current structure. Labour governance dominated for most of the borough’s existence. The 2026 election marked the first time the Greens achieved overall control.

The directly elected mayoralty was created in 2002. Labour held the mayoral position continuously from 2002 to 2026. Zoë Garbett’s victory ended 24 years of Labour mayoral control.

The 2022 election saw Labour hold 50 seats on Hackney Council. By 2026, Labour fell to nine seats. This 41-seat swing represented one of the largest party control shifts in London local government history.

Historical voter alignment in Hackney favoured Labour due to its association with public services, social housing, and workers’ rights. The Greens’ 2026 campaign successfully reframed these issues around climate justice, rent control, and anti-austerity, appealing to similar demographic coalitions.

What does the Greens’ Hackney victory mean for future local governance?

The Greens’ 42-seat majority and mayoral control in Hackney enables implementation of rent controls, climate policies, and increased public service spending without needing coalition partners. This represents the first time the Greens have governed a major London borough with a working majority.

Zoë Garbett’s administration can pursue rent control policies that were previously blocked by Labour leadership. Her London Rent Commission advocacy provides a policy blueprint for immediate implementation. Housing affordability remains the top voter concern in Hackney.

Climate and environmental policies can advance with full council backing. The Greens’ 74 per cent seat share exceeds the threshold needed to pass contentious measures. This includes waste reduction, air quality zones, and sustainable housing standards.

The Greens’ governance in Hackney serves as a test case for Green Party administration at scale. National and international observers monitor policy outcomes, voter satisfaction, and administrative competence. Success could accelerate Green growth in other urban areas.

Labour’s reduction to nine seats limits its ability to hold the Green administration accountable through traditional opposition mechanisms. The Conservatives’ six seats provide the only other organised opposition bloc. Independent Socialists and Independents hold no seats after the 2026 election.