Williams formally withdrew a few days before the close of nominations, and told the Greens’ headquarters in England and Wales what the local party had decided. Although he was aware of the Green Party rules, because of its previous support for tactical voting, he did not expect any enforcement or disciplinary action.

He told The Guardian: “By 2pm the next day, I heard the news that another Green parliamentary candidate had been parachuted in,” he said. “I was shocked that, notwithstanding the commitment to stand in pretty well every constituency in the country, that they would override a local decision in such a draconian manner.”

The replacement candidate Ruby Tucker, won 1,243 votes in the election and Jeremy Hunt held on to his seat by just 891 votes, with the Lib Dems coming second, so the votes for the replacement Green candidate might have been crucial.

Godalming & Ash General Election result 2024 Wikipedia

A Green Party spokesperson is reported to have commented: “Green party members voted to stand a full slate of candidates at its final conference before the general election and this helped us secure a record number of votes and four MPs.

“In Godalming and Ash, there was a last-minute discussion of some members that didn’t override the wider national membership decision and so the Green Party’s governance bodies took the decision to uphold the membership’s decision on candidacy. Green Party members at conference hold the most senior decision-making power in the Green Party on the basis of one member, one vote.”

Steve Williams is still featured on the Guildford & Waverley Green Party website

But Steve Williams who has admitted he was expelled from Labour in 2017 “under similar circumstances” told The Dragon: “Both Clare Weightman and I were disappointed that our membership of the Green Party had been withdrawn. I understand that we were not alone, in that others across the country have been expelled from the Green Party for allegedly supporting tactical voting and tactical campaigning.

“Unfortunately, tactical voting and tactical campaigning are direct consequences of a flawed First Past the Post electoral system where the proportion of seats for a party in parliament do not automatically reflect the proportion of the popular vote received, and where MPs can get elected on a minority of the vote in their constituencies.

“In Godalming and Ash, it was clear that Greens could not win the seat, but the Lib Dems almost did. That is why I was proud to stand aside at the request of the local Green Party to support Paul Follows who has been an excellent Lib Dem leader of Waverley Borough Council.

Cllr Paul Follows

“I have worked closely with Paul Follows as a member of the Waverley Executive for over five years and I made it very clear that, while I was spending much of the election period campaigning to support Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate (now Green MP) for Brighton Pavilion, in Godalming and Ash I would be lending my support to Paul Follows.

“I shall be challenging the decision and I understand the local Green Party will be doing so as well.

“This will not affect my position on the council in the short term except that I am obliged to sit as an Independent. I hope that our attempts to get these expulsions revoked will be successful – and I will be happy to stand again for election in future as a Green Party candidate.”

Williams is now included in the “Labour and Aligned Independent” at WBC he is now in a political grouping with Labour at WBC and has retained his spot on the council’s Executive. Appointments to the Executive are in the gift of the council leader.

Cllr Jane Austin

Commenting on Cllr Williams’s new political label, Cllr Jane Austin, a member of Hunt’s campaign team and leader of WBC’s Conservative opposition commented: ” ‘Aligned Independent’ – that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard it.

“As I stated in the election period I strongly believe the electorate should have the opportunity to vote for the party whose policy they support. Cllr Williams submitted his nomination papers and then withdrew at the last moment – which indicates he deliberately intended to deprive the Green party of the opportunity to have a Green candidate.

“At each of the hustings, Steve Williams then represented the parachuted-in Green candidate….. but was actively pushing the Lib Dems. That feels to many like an act to deliberately deceive.

“It transpired this was a very close election and every vote really did count – but if there had been no Green candidate it would be wrong to assume that all of the Green votes would have gone in the direction of the Lib Dems.”