Green Party campaign heats Lambeth Council Elections ahead of 7 May

Green Party candidates were campaigning in the lambeth council elections in Brixton as the borough prepared for the 7 May local vote. Michael Chessum, the Green candidate for Brixton Acre Lane, was knocking on doors with fellow candidates while carrying his baby daughter in a black papoose.

Chessum said on the doorstep in Brixton, “That comes up on the doorstep a lot.” The Greens were trying to make gains in a council Labour has controlled since 2006, and the campaign was unfolding in a borough where Labour’s hold has been long-running.

Brixton Acre Lane campaign

Chessum was joined by Dario Goodwin and Nat Kane, who were the Green Party co-candidates for the central Lambeth ward of Brixton Acre Lane. Their canvassing was part of a late-April push before polling day, with the Greens trying to press an argument on the doorstep while Labour remained in control of Lambeth Council.

Steve Reed, who previously led Lambeth Council, was among the figures tied to the borough’s political contest. He is now Housing Secretary, and his name sat in the background of a campaign in which Labour was defending a council it has run since 2006.

Sabine Mairey on the doorstep

The Greens’ campaign was complicated by the presence of Sabine Mairey on the doorstep on 3 May, even though she had been suspended from the party. A Labour social media post pictured her leafletting and quickly went viral. The central Green Party did not know about her presence on the doorstep.

Sabine Mairey and Saiqa Ali had both been arrested over alleged anti-Semitic social media posts, and both were suspended from the Green Party. Suspended candidates are forbidden from campaigning for the Green Party, which made the doorstep appearance a direct problem for the local operation.

Kennington Oval count

The local elections were due on 7 May 2026, with the Lambeth election count scheduled for 8 May 2026 at Kennington Oval. The contest put the Greens in a borough described as a Labour stronghold, and their candidates were trying to win seats while Labour defended control it has held since 2006.

Lambeth Greens responded to the arrests and allegations by saying, “The Green Party is an anti-racist party, and we have robust internal processes to look into any conduct which is not in line with our values.” They added, “We cannot comment further while a police investigation is ongoing.”