FORMER LABOUR COUNCILLOR JOINS LIB DEMS

Former Castle Ward Councillor Lee Clark, who served as Chair of Labour's Hastings Borough Council Group for a number of years, has joined the Liberal Democrats.

"It's been a long political journey since leaving the Labour Party in 2016," said Lee Clark.

"The dark arts of Labour's hard-left which have resulted in the narrowing of its broad church, and its appeal to the wider public; to the continual dismal failure of Jeremy Corbyn to oppose Britain's exit from the EU, has led me to the Liberal Democrats, where I can continue to fight for social justice, internationalism and an open, tolerant society."

Mr Clark's former Castle Ward opponent is Nick Perry, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, who welcomed Mr Clark, saying

"We are delighted to welcome Lee who is a thoughtful observer of the Hastings political scene. His move to the Liberal Democrats mirrors that of many former Labour supporters, locally and nationally."

Mr Perry confirmed that he has been in discussion with other local politicians who are considering following Mr Clark's example.