Labour councillors are jumping ship to the Green Party amid fears that Sir Keir Starmer’s party faces wipeout in May’s local elections. There have been 50 defections in the past six months, an analysis showed. And the Green Party says it is also in talks with Labour MPs who are considering joining the party. It follows the Green victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Some polling suggests the Greens, led by Zack Polanski, are more popular than Labour nationally. The latest YouGov survey found Reform are the most popular party, backed by 23 percent of voters, but the Greens and Conservatives are in joint second place, both supported by 19 percent. Labour is supported by 17 percent and the Liberal Democrats by 14 percent.

The Green Party has taken a strong stance criticising Israel over the conflict in Gaza, and opposing the US and Israeli assault on Iran, positions that seem to appeal to some former Labour voters.

A party source told the Daily Telegraph: “More and more councillors have been moving to the Greens in the past six months and, like our polling and membership surge, this momentum is increasing.”

Many of the defections have been in London and others were in Swindon, Bristol and Wales.

The Guardian reported that “several” Labour MPs are in talks with the Green Party about switching sides, although none have yet decided to do so.

Meanwhile, Labour received a blow when one of its biggest union backers decided to cut funding.

Trade union Unite has reduced its affiliation fee to the Labour Party by 40 percent, a £580,000 fall.

The union said this government had left British industry “fighting for its life”, with “oil and gas workers facing decimation, buy British defence promises broken, the public sector undervalued and the elderly and disabled under attack”.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far as Labour is concerned.

“Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn’t workers. Workers and communities are paying the price.

“Labour needs to wake up and smell the coffee. The cut in affiliation fee shows the anger of Unite members. Stop taking workers for granted, spine up, do your job and be real Labour.”