Green Party leader Zack Polanski has suffered a setback as a councillor defected to the Liberal Democrats, declaring him "not fit" to be prime minister.
Councillor Martin Allen, who served for a decade, cited Mr Polanski's comments on jailed Palestine Action activists and his "poor judgement" on several issues as reasons for leaving.
Reason for departure
Mr Allen referenced Mr Polanski's June remarks about four activists jailed for causing £1.2 million of damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defence company. Mr Polanski called their sentencing a "truly dangerous attack on the right to protest."
In a statement, Mr Allen said: "After 10 years of service, I've concluded that I can no longer remain a member of the Green Party." He added: "Since there has been a change in leader, events, including Zack Polanski voicing sympathy for the thugs who were imprisoned for an act where a police officer was hit with a sledgehammer, have caused me to reflect on whether my values still align with those of the Green Party. I've reached the conclusion that they do not."
Additional criticism
The BBC reported that Mr Allen also criticised Mr Polanski for wrongly claiming to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, for which he later apologised.
Mr Allen, who sits on Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Hills District Council, said the Lib Dems "believe in doing the right thing for every part of our community."
Green Party response
A Green Party spokesperson said: "We are always sorry to lose councillors. After the local elections, we have a record number of Green councillors across the country. We have also seen councillors joining us in droves in recent months from other parties, and our membership has quadrupled over the past year."
