Manchester Withington MP Jeff Smith has welcomed news that Cllr Greg Stanton – who has been working as an independent Councillor since leaving the Liberal Democrats earlier this year – has joined the Labour Group on Manchester City Council.

Jeff said “Since his election, Greg gained a reputation as someone who was happy to work with Labour members of the Council to get results for Didsbury West and this willingness to work on a cross-party basis put him at odds with his former Liberal Democrat colleagues.”

In a statement released on Monday, Greg talked about being won over by the action Labour had taken locally on affordable housing, road repair and tackling crime and stated his belief that under the leadership of Keir Starmer, only Labour can now hold the Government to account.

Jeff commented “At a time of national crisis, it’s especially important that the voices of local residents are heard by decision makers in the Council and I’m pleased that Didsbury West residents again have a Labour councillor to ensure that this happens, just as the rest of south Manchester does. I look forward to working with Greg for the benefit of our constituents in Didsbury West in the months and years ahead.”