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Another councillor has left the Hillingdon Labour Group after several months of defections and resignations.
Councillor Jas Dhot, who represents Yeading, has today (October 21) left Hillingdon Labour and defected to Hillingdon Conservatives. Cllr Dhot is the fourth councillor to leave Hillingdon Labour in four months. Three of those councillors were reportedly deselected ahead of the 2026 local elections.
Cllr Dhot said: "I have been considering joining Hillingdon Conservatives for a while, but the level of infighting in Labour has pushed my decision. For too long Hillingdon Labour just want to point fingers and complain and do not have any plans of how to deliver improvements for our borough.
"Sadly, some are using this to just advance their own political ambitions. I am pleased to now be part of a team that works well together and wants to achieve for our borough.
"During my 12 years as a councillor in Hillingdon I have seen firsthand that Hillingdon Conservatives genuinely care about our residents. Now I want to play my part in this and help them to continue to put our residents first."
Cllr Stuart Mathers, Leader of Labour Group, says Cllr Dhot left the party because he was deselected. He added: "Cllr Dhot was deselected as part of our candidate selections process for the 2026 Council elections along with other councillors who failed to meet the high standards required by Hillingdon Labour. He has decided to join Hillingdon Conservatives who have decimated Council finances through decades of financial mismanagement rather than remain part of Hillingdon Labour who continue to fight for a safer, cleaner and fairer Borough."
Less than one month ago, Cllr Dhot's ward colleague, Cllr Rita Judge, defected from Hillingdon Labour to the newly formed Hayes Independent Group, fronted by ex-Labour Group Leader Cllr Peter Curling.
Cllr Curling told the LDRS: "It is a shame to see that the toxic environment created by the Labour group's new leadership has driven yet another member of their group away."
Earlier this year, Cllr Curling was removed as Leader of the Labour Group, and told he would be deselected, preventing him from standing for re-election. He was shortly followed by Cllr Janet Gardner, also deselected, and they formed their own independent group.
Cllr Ian Edwards, Leader of Hillingdon Conservatives and Hillingdon Council, said: "I am pleased to welcome Cllr Jas Dhot to our group and thank him for his recognition that we are the party on the side of local residents across Hillingdon.
"I look forward to him representing his residents under the Conservative banner, and this is further confirmation that Hillingdon Labour are out of touch with local people and are more interested in their own internal politics than standing up for residents."
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