A former Sefton conservative councillor who broke away from the party last year to form an independent group has now joined the Liberal Democrats.
Cllr Sinclair D’Albuquerque was elected as Conservative councillor to Cambridge ward in Southport in 2021.
Last year he formed the Southport Independents Group alongside fellow former Conservative Councillor Terry Jones, who stepped down from his Ainsdale seat at the recent elections.
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Cllr Jones had been elected to Ainsdale as a Conservative councillor and the seat was taken in May by Labour’s Janet Harrison in a closely fought election which saw Lib Dems take second place just 16 votes behind.
Speaking of his decision to leave the Conservative group last year, Cllr D’Albuquerque said: “I now consider their principles, ethics and values both locally and nationally are no longer compatible with mine”.
Cllr Cllr D’Albuquerque said he was "delighted" at joining the ranks of the Liberal Democrats, the borough’s main opposition party, stating: “The way the Liberal Democrats proactively represent the people of Southport has been impressive and visionary.”
Southport Liberal Democrat leader John Pugh welcomed the councillor to the group, stating: “Last week Southport voted for the party that puts the town’s interests first and gets things done locally. The Labour party prioritises other parts of Sefton and the Conservative MP fails to stand up for our town in Westminster.
“We welcome Sinclair to our group. We look forward to working with him to hold Sefton Labour to account and to continue to be the voice for Southport.”
Following Cllr D'Albuquerque's move, the Lib Dems now have 9 councillors, while Labour have 51 seats and the Conservatives five with one independent councillor now remaining.
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