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City councils

New Political Party Launched in Leicester by Former Labour Councillor Rita Patel

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A new political party has been formed in Leicester by former Labour councillor Rita Patel, who announced her departure from the party in March this year following her suspension for backing a proposal to replace the city mayor's office with a more democratic form of leadership. Patel, who served as a Labour councillor for 12 years, is now leading the group One Leicester, which aims to tackle the "toxicity" she claims exists in politics and provide "authentic representation and the underpinning value of always putting the people of Leicester first." The party has promised to be issue-based and open to all, with its first campaign focusing on supporting a referendum on the mayoral system in Leicester.

Key Takeaways:

  • Former Labour councillor Rita Patel has launched a new political party in Leicester called One Leicester, with a mission to build a "better tomorrow" for the city.
  • Patel was suspended from the Labour Party in March this year for backing a proposal to replace the city mayor's office with a more democratic form of leadership.
  • One Leicester aims to provide "authentic representation and the underpinning value of always putting the people of Leicester first" and is committed to being issue-based and open to all parties.
  • The party's first campaign will focus on supporting a referendum on the mayoral system in Leicester.
  • Patel served as a Labour councillor for 12 years before launching her independent bid to become the next city mayor in May, which she lost to Labour candidate Sir Peter Soulsby.
  • Patel has promised to "show there is a positive way it can do politics" and to tackle the "toxicity" in politics.

Statistics:

  • 12 years: length of time Patel served as a Labour councillor
  • 35,000: number of votes Labour candidate Sir Peter Soulsby secured in the May local elections
  • 1: Percentage of city mayor's role that would be scrapped under Patel's leadership in the May local elections
  • 4: number of councillors who were suspended by the Labour Party, including Patel, for backing the proposal to replace the city mayor's office.

Sources:

  • Sam Moorhouse, Byline: Sam Moorhouse, "New political party launched in Leicester by former Labour councillor Rita Patel"

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