Labour councillors spent nearly an hour of Plymouth's full council meeting today debating a motion which had no legal standing.
It comes after Drake Ward councillor Steve Ricketts became Plymouth’s first Reform UK councillor on the 25 February 2026 after defecting from being an Independent.
The motion proposed by Labour councillors Cllr Daniel Steel (Labour, Plymstock Radford) and seconded by Cllr Kate Taylor (Labour, Ham) asked the council to invite Cllr Ricketts to resign so a by-election could be held.
The wording argued Cllr Ricketts switching to Reform represented “a material change from the basis on which he was elected” and said residents should be given the chance to voice their view through a fresh vote.
The motion itself carried no legal standing, which meant even if passed, Cllr Ricketts would not have to resign, as UK law means that a councillor changing political parties does not trigger a by-election.
The Representation of the People Act 1983 and the Local Government Act 1972 provides that a by-election is only triggered if a councillor dies, resigns, becomes disqualified, or fails to attend council meetings for six consecutive months.
It is not the first time a Plymouth councillor has switched parties. Less than a year ago, Compton councillor Dylan Tippetts left Labour for the Liberal Democrats, yet Labour tabled no motion calling for a by-election.
Green Party councillor Lauren McLay (Plympton, Chaddlewood) pointed out that the motion was not truly coming from Drake residents at all.
Cllr McLay said she could have supported such a motion if it had come "genuinely from the communities and the people that are in Drake", but that this was in reality “a Labour petition website whose real sole purpose is just to capture voter intention data ahead of May”.
Independent councillor Patrick Nicholson (Independent, Plympton St Mary) criticised the way in which Labour conducted the debate. He said their conduct showed “the problem with our democracy” and accused councillors of failing to respect opposing views.
Cllr Nicholson said Labour only respects its own opinions and that this was disgraceful. He added: “Why shouldn’t Councillor Ricketts be able to defend himself without being heckled constantly by Councillor Stevens or other members?”
Cllr Ricketts himself described the motion as “legalised bullying and branded the atmosphere “toxic”, accusing Labour of trying to “hurt him” and “bring him down” through social media, leaflets and coordinated political pressure.
Cllr Ricketts also made clear he had no intention of stepping down, telling councillors: “You want me to resign? Never. Not when local people need me to represent them and fight for them.”
Labour Councillor Jaime Bannerman (Labour, Peverell) had to correct herself after she made a constitutional breach by addressing Cllr Ricketts directly instead of speaking through the Lord Mayor.
Cllr Steel, who proposed the motion, said residents had elected “a local independent voice” and not a Reform representative. He argued the switch raised “a simple but important democratic question” over whether voters still consented to being represented in that way.
Cllr Taylor, who seconded the motion, said the issue was about “a very simple democratic principle” and insisted that while Cllr Ricketts’ move may be legal, that did not make it right.
In the end, the motion was carried but despite this, nothing will change as the law of this country does not mean a by-election is triggered simply because a councillor changes party.
However, this may not be the end of the matter. Cllr Carol Ney (Independent, Southway) has taken to social media to point out Labour's hypocrisy, highlighting that during the General Election campaign in 2024, Labour featured Conservative-to-Labour defector Natalie Elphicke on Fred Thomas MP's leaflets.
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