卢顿区两名退出工党、加入独立联盟党团的议员如今又加入了绿党。
Two Luton borough councillors who quit Labour to become part of an Independent Alliance Group have now joined the Green Party.
这意味着雅伦·贝古姆和鲁米·乔杜里成为卢顿市首两位绿党议员，不过两人仍将继续留在独立联盟党团。
It means Yarun Begum and Rumi Chowdhury are the town's first Green councillors, although they will also remain part of that Independent Alliance.
绿党发言人说：“这一变动使绿党首次在地方政府中拥有代表，而此时卢顿议会的政治构成正经历重大变化。”
A Green Party spokesperson said: "The move establishes Green representation on the local authority for the first time, during a period of major change in the council's political make-up."
卢顿议会新任议长、自由民主党籍的阿姆吉德·阿里说：“根据联盟议事规则，各党团均可自主决定如何管理自身事务。二人转投绿党不会对自由民主党主导的联盟造成影响。”乔杜里刚刚获任阿里的首届内阁成员，重新进入行政机构，负责妇女、平等事务和社区安全；她此前曾是前工党领导人塔赫米娜·萨利姆行政团队的一员。
The new leader of Luton Council, Lib Dem Amjid Ali said: "Under the coalition standing orders, each group has autonomy as to how they manage their own group. Their move bears no impact on the Lib Dem-led coalition." Chowdhury has just been appointed to Ali's first cabinet, returning to the executive as the member responsible for women, equalities and community safety, having previously been a part of former Labour leader Tahmina Saleem's executive team.
两人均于2023年5月当选，并在联合声明中表示：“作为议员，我们的首要责任是对我们所代表的民众负责。
Both she and Begum were elected in May 2023 and in a joint statement said: "Our first responsibility is to the people we represent as councillors.
“我们认为，地方代表应当倾听社区的声音，为社区发声并坚守原则，即使这会令当权者感到不适。
"We believe local representatives should be able to listen to their communities, speak up for them and stand by their principles, even when that's uncomfortable for those in power.
“我们之所以离开工党，是因为我们认为，在基尔·斯塔默的领导下，工党已经背离了这些原则；在安迪·伯纳姆的领导下，我们也没有看到足够的迹象，让我们相信所需的改变将会到来。
"We left the Labour Party because we believe it had moved away from those principles under the leadership of Keir Starmer, and we've not seen enough under Andy Burnham to convince us that the change needed is coming.
“但我们的决定还关乎一个更宏大的问题：我们认为政治的未来应当走向何方。我们加入绿党，是因为绿党为那些希望把社区利益置于党内权力机器之上的人提供了政治归属。”他们补充说：“我们为卢顿首次拥有两位绿党议员感到自豪。我们的决定表明，绿党政治能够在那些长期被忽视的社区中扎根，任何市镇、选区或社区都不应被视为遥不可及。”
"But our decision is also about something bigger: where we believe the future of politics lies. We've joined the Green Party because it offers a political home for people who want to put their communities before party machines." "We're proud that Luton will have two Green councillors for the first time. Our decision shows that Green politics can take root in communities that have too often been taken for granted, and that no town, ward or community should be considered out of reach," they added.
卢顿工党发言人说：“仅今年而言，这已是这些议员第二次改变政治立场。他们应该向当地居民坦诚说明自己究竟站在哪一边。
A Luton Labour spokesperson said: "It's the second time these councillors have changed their political allegiance this year alone. They should be honest with their residents about where they stand.
“卢顿不该继续陷入这种混乱。今年5月，选民将有机会再次投票选出由工党主导的地方议会，让我们的社区优先于政治利益，并为卢顿带来希望。”目前，地方议会中包括自由民主党、独立联盟、绿党和保守党议员，工党是主要反对党；此外还有三名无党派独立议员和一名英国改革党议员。
"Luton deserves better than this chaos and in May has the opportunity to vote for a Labour council again that will put our communities ahead of politics and deliver hope for Luton" The administration on the authority now has councillors from the Lib Dem, Independent Alliance, Greens and Conservative groups, with Labour the official opposition plus there are three non-aligned Independents, and a Reform UK councillor.
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