Green Party Reinstate Waverley Councillor Who Withdrew from General Election

Published on: 29 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 29 Oct, 2024

Cllr Steve Williams

By Martin Giles

The Green Party candidate for Godalming & Ash in the July general election, who withdrew his nomination to encourage tactical voting and was subsequently expelled from his party for five years, has now been readmitted following a successful appeal.

Steve Williams, who is also a senior councillor at Waverley Borough Council, received an email on Thursday (October 24) from the Green Party’s complaints manager informing him of the Regional Council’s decision and apologising “for any inconvenience”.

Email readmitting Steve Williams to The Green Party.

Claire Weightman, a Godalming Town councillor, who was expelled for the same reason, is understood to have been similarly reinstated.

Cllr Williams’ decision to withdraw his nomination was approved by the Green Party’s local committee after his nomination was made. By removing a Green Party option from the ballot paper it was hoped that voters would support the Lib Dem Candidate Paul Follows and help him defeat the Conservative candidate Jeremy Hunt, at the time the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who would have been a major political scalp.

Godalming & Ash General Election result 2024 Wikipedia

But the Green Party nominated a replacement candidate, Ruby Tucker, who attracted 1,243, which is likely to have helped Jeremy Hunt win by the narrow margin of 891 votes.

Asked if at the time of his nomination he and the local Green Party committee had known it was the intention to withdraw his nomination before the election Cllr Williams said: “No. The Guildford & Waverley Green Party met separately to decide the two questions. First it met to determine its approach in the three constituencies it covered: Guildford, Godalming & Ash and Farnham & Bordon.

“The issue of withdrawing my nomination was debated at a later, separate meeting and it was decided to put the issue to a ballot of all the local members, which it did. The result of the ballot was 3 to 1 in favour of withdrawing the nomination.”

However the charge against Steve Williams and Claire Weightman was not made because of the withdrawn nomination but by encouraging support for Lib Dem Paul Follows they had campaigned for a candidate other than the duly selected Green Party candidate.

But when hearing the appeal a majority of the Regional Council decided that the replacement candidate “parachuted in” by Green Party headquarters, Ruby Tucker, had not been properly selected and the charge against Cllr Williams and Cllr Weightman was unsound.

Cllr Paul Follows

Waverley Borough Council leader Paul Follows (Lib Dem) said today: “I am pleased to hear the news that my good friends and colleagues, councillors Steve Williams and Clare Weightman, have been readmitted to their party.

“Though an internal matter for the Green Party for the most part, I firmly believe that both councillors received an unjust and disproportionately harsh punishment from their party for their actions during the recent general election and I am pleased to see that this has been quashed. Both sought only positive change in Godalming and Ash.”

“Our parties in Waverley have a long history of progressive working together and I hope that this can continue.”

A grouping of those from “progressive” parties including supporters of The Green, Lib Dem, Labour and Independents called “The Compass Group” was formed in South West Surrey in 2016 to support “progressive” politics.

Cllr Jane Austin

Jane Austin, leader of the Conservative opposition at Waverley Borough Council, said: “Cllr Williams was more than happy to disobey his party to support the Lib Dems in the general election. Indeed, he was expelled from Labour for doing the same in 2017.

“I am Conservative because I believe in Conservative values. That’s why I vote Conservative. The electorate deserves the opportunity to vote for whichever party they support.

“Cllr Williams conspired to deprive local Green supporters of that opportunity. Readmitting him smacks of desperation — and a bewildering lack of conviction from the Green Party.”