Temporary truce in Portsmouth City Council opposition row as threat of names being drawn from a hat looms

Following the Portsmouth Labour Party’s readmission of two previously suspended councillors, Cllr Raj Ghosh and Cllr Judith Smyth, the number of Labour councillors increased to nine, resulting in an equal number of councillors for both Labour and the Portsmouth Independent Party.

Consequently, there is a tie for the position of leader of the opposition.

According to the Portsmouth Independent Party, the Portsmouth City Council constitution lacks specific guidance for such a situation.

Without an established guideline process to resolve the “concerning” situation, chief executive Natalie Brahma-Pearl gave both groups one week to resolve the issue independently.

Should they fail to do so, Portsmouth Independent Party said the issue will be decided by an arbitrary 50/50 coin toss to determine the next leader of the opposition - though this has been refuted by the city council. It said options considered included a vote share, a role share or drawing names as is done when an election result is tied.

Cllr George Madgwick had been the leader of the Portsmouth Independent Party, the opposition, while Councillor Charlotte Gerada was leader of the Labour group.

Both leaders proposed the possibility of shared leadership due to their desire to find a “more democratic solution” and “fair alternatives”. However, the alternative was rejected.

Therefore, to prevent “further disruption” and “seek a constructive path forward”, Cllr Madgwick “reluctantly agreed” to temporarily hand over the role to Cllr Gerada.

With the party dubbing the situation as a “unprecedented constitutional crisis”, Cllr Madgwick added: “Over the past year, I’ve been proud to lead the opposition in holding this administration to account—challenging poor decisions, fighting for transparency, and giving a voice to residents across the city who feel ignored by national party politics. While I congratulate Cllr Gerada on her appointment and wish her well in the role, I do so with deep concern and disbelief that our council has no constitutional mechanism to resolve this situation fairly or democratically.

“To force a 50/50 coin toss for such a vital democratic position is, in my view, a failure of governance and a disservice to the people of Portsmouth. I have agreed to step aside temporarily, not because it is just, but because it is necessary to bring calm and allow space for a proper constitutional review. Our residents deserve better than coin toss politics.”

At the same time, one former Conservative councillor, John Smith and former campaign manager for MPs Penny Mordaunt and Flick Drummond, Joe Staden, announced their intentions to stand in the local election 2026 representing the Portsmouth Independent Party.

Cllr Madgwick said: “We’re delighted to welcome John and Joe to our team. Their backgrounds speak for themselves—experienced, balanced, and deeply committed to putting Portsmouth residents first.

“This is further evidence that our message is resonating: people want local solutions, not national party agendas.”

The Governance, Audit and Standards committee will conduct an urgent review of the constitution and present recommendations to the full council in July 2025.

A Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said: "Like many councils our constitution does not have specific arrangements for there being no outright second largest political group, however the situation has been resolved amicably between councillors with agreement that the Labour group will be the main opposition group. A report will be going to our Governance & Audit & Standards Committee to consider options for how a similar situation may be resolved in the future."