David Beavan thrown out of Liberal Democrats in East Suffolk

David Beavan, deputy leader of East Suffolk Council, has been expelled after 55 years of membership for supporting the Green leader Adrian Ramsay, who is running for the Waveney Valley constituency in the General Election.

Reacting to the news, Mr Beavan said that his former party had shot themselves in the foot over the matter and that he "would rather be a communist than stay".

David Beavan has been ousted from the Liberal Democrats after 55 years (Image: Submitted)

He said: “I was impressed with Adrian when we spoke together at a Sizewell demo. I thought he was mad to take on this Tory heartland but he has worked hard to connect with the people and is now running close to the Conservatives.

"Ironically, I have been expelled for stating the truth by a party that has historically stood for freedom of speech. Perhaps the HQ staff need to check out Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

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“So it was with much surprise and sadness that I learnt second-hand from a local member of this bizarre decision by Head Office.

"They have shot themselves in the foot.

Adrian Ramsay and Green supporters in the River Waveney in Bungay campaigning (Image: Submitted)

“If I wanted to be dictated to by party officials, I would have joined the Communist Party."

Mr Beavan stood for Parliament for the Liberals aged 22 in 1974 and secured their highest-ever vote of 22pc in Waveney in 1986. He was elected to the then-Waveney District Council in 2018.

The new Waveney Valley constituency straddles the Norfolk and Suffolk border with parts of five former Conservative seats and is one of the Green Party’s four target seats in the General Election.

Other Waveney Valley candidates are Dr Gurpreet Padda (Labour), Richard Rout (Conservative), Maya Severyn (SDP) and John Shreeve (Liberal Democrat) and Scott Huggins (Reform).