- Councillor: Reginald Popoola, socialist and activist.
- Party: Joined the Green Party.
- Role: Community activist councillor.
- Details: No location or timeline specified.
- Context: Boosts Green Party’s activist profile.
- Status: Recent announcement, no further details.
In just three months, he became the third new Southwark Council councillor for the Green Party. In November and December of 2025, two Labour councillors, Kath Whittam and Sam Foster, joined the party.
Popoola will run for the Rye Lane Ward in the May elections as a Green Party councillor. He pledges to keep up his active work for the neighborhood and to cooperate with associates and council members from all other parties for the good of all locals.Â
Popoola identified himself as a Black working-class Southwark native who was born and raised in his letter of resignation to Labour party leader Sarah King. He claims to have firsthand knowledge of Keir Starmer’s Labour policy.
In the letter, Popoola discusses locals who believe Labour has abandoned efforts to improve the basic conditions of people’s life, preferring to defend the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Popoola has a legal history with the local government and went to local schools.
Popoola said:
“I have made the decision to join the Green Party as its core values of social justice, ecological sustainability and genuine member engagement more closely align with my principles and the future I want to build not only in Southwark but across the UK.”
He went on to say that although Labour had made pledges of change and stopgap when it came to power in 2024, those pledges had turned out to be empty by 2026. He claimed that the Flora now give the substantial change that the communities of Southwark have been demanding.Â
Southwark Green Party council leader Foster said:
“Reginald is an incredibly hard-working and talented Councillor who I am proud to call a friend. This is a huge loss for Labour, which has turned against Southwark communities through its racist attacks on migrants, pro-developer housing policy, and threats to defund local services.
The Greens represent everyone facing high bills and insecure or substandard housing, and we believe local services should be high-quality and properly funded. Cllr Popoola will be a powerful champion for the better future that the Greens are working to deliver for Southwark residents.”
Popoola is a member of the “Green Wave” of UK council members who are switching to the Green Party. Following what was referred to as the “summer of chaos” in the Southwark Labour Party, he is the third council member to depart the party.
As of December 17, 2025, the Green Party’s nationwide membership has increased from 68,000 on September 2, 2025, to 184,000. This is more than twice as many as the Liberal Democrats and exceeds the Conservative Party’s stated membership.
Southwark Green Party Co-Chair Kelly Shields stated:
“It is fantastic to welcome Reginald Poopola to the Green Party in Southwark. This is only the beginning of the Green surge in our borough. Reginald is our third councillor to join in three months – momentum is building, local and national membership is at an all time high and we have set our sights on the May elections and getting some big wins.”
What reasons did Reginald Popoola give for joining the Greens?
Reginald Popoola cited Labour’s public immigration crackdown, continued austerity measures harming vulnerable communities, and the” apparel” of Southwark Labour’s internal leadership election last summer as crucial reasons for defecting to the Green Party.
In his abdication letter to council leader Sarah King, Popoola stated he could” no longer in good heart continue” with Labour, criminating the party of” demonising settlers for political gain,” prioritizing the many over the numerous.
Popoola praised the Green Party’s
” core values of social justice, ecological sustainability and genuine member engagement,”
which he said better match his socialist principles, especially as a black working- class activist witnessing detriment to Southwark’s different residents from Labour programs under Home Secretary Shabhana Mahmood.
