Birgit Miller has quit the Labour Party while remaining a councillor for Brighton and Hove City Council.
Miller, who holds one of three seats for Goldsmid ward on the local authority, revealed her decision on August 14, stating she no longer trusted the direction of the Labour-controlled council.
In a statement, Miller indicated she had left the party with considerable sadness because she could no longer have faith in how the Brighton and Hove Labour administration was being run. She explained she would be serving as an unaffiliated councillor. Miller emphasised she would continue working wholeheartedly for Goldsmid Ward residents and felt she could represent them more effectively outside the party structure.
Speaking to Brighton & Hove News, Miller indicated she still holds dear the principles of both the Co-operative and Labour movements. She stated she remained dedicated to backing both parties nationally and expressed support for Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
This departure comes amid a series of exits that have weakened Labour’s grip on the council following their comprehensive win in the 2023 local elections. The party initially won 38 of the 54 available seats, but that number has fallen to 31 due to resignations, switching allegiances, and by-elections.
Miller becomes the second Goldsmid representative to abandon Labour this year.
Jackie O’Quinn, a former mayor who had been a Labour member for almost half a century, left the party in February, stating she had become disillusioned with the direction of the national Labour government. Despite describing the Brighton and Hove Labour administration as the best she had experienced during her time in politics, she opted to serve as an independent before leaving the council entirely in May.
Her exit prompted a by-election in Goldsmid, which Nadia Barton Ahmad subsequently won, further reducing Labour’s presence in the ward.
The party has encountered comparable setbacks elsewhere.
Bruno de Oliveira, who represented Hollingdean & Fiveways, departed Labour in February 2025, initially sitting as an Independent before becoming a Green Party member in January 2026. He explained his decision stemmed from disagreements with national government policy rather than any issue with the local Labour administration.
In late 2025, Ty Galvin left the Labour grouping to serve as an independent while facing an internal party investigation.
Most recently, on August 8, Queens Park councillor Milla Gauge stepped down, claiming the council had ignored her worries regarding safeguarding, gender matters, and policy. Her departure triggered another by-election and made her the eighth Labour councillor elected in 2023 to vacate their position before completing their term. Council leader Bella Sankey rejected Gauge’s allegations and expressed regret about her resignation.
Miller’s situation differs from some of the other departures because her concerns target the local Labour leadership specifically. While O’Quinn and de Oliveira pointed to national Labour issues, Miller’s comments concentrated exclusively on how the Brighton and Hove Labour administration was operating.
Brighton and Hove City Council declined to provide a response.