Ray Morgon created the Havering Residents’ Association (HRA).1 They filled the power vacuum left by the Conservatives in 2022. Ray’s still in power in 2026.
The political comedy show ‘Carry on Defecting’ began immediately.
Sarah Edwards, Jacqueline McArdle and Sue Ospreay joined HRA a few weeks after being elected as Conservatives. The voters of Rainham weren’t consulted.
Jacqueline McArdle changed her mind and re-joined the Conservatives.
Phillip Ruck left HRA creating a new political party2 with John Tyler. The voters of Cranham weren’t consulted.
Paul McGeary left Labour and joined HRA. He got a transfer fee via a £25,000 cabinet position.
Robby Misir joined HRA after many years as a Conservative councillor. The voters of Marshalls and Rise Park weren’t consulted.
Christine Smith joined HRA from the Conservatives, without consulting her Hylands and Harrow Lodge voters
John Crowder with his wife Phillippa Crowder defected from the Conservatives to HRA. The very first husband and wife defection in Havering’s history.
Keith Prince did ’Double-Bubble’. He joined Reform UK from the Conservatives. In one deft move he changed Squirrels Heath AND the GLA Havering and Redbridge constituency into Reform UK. Two defections for the price of one! Not everyone can do that.
Christine Vickery, also Squirrels Heath, joined Reform from the Conservatives. The only explanation was a TV opportunity with Nigel Farage.
Robert Benham, Rush Green and Crowlands, defected with Christine to Reform also from the Conservatives. He too had 15 minutes of fame and glory.
Parliament
Andrew Rosindell joined Reform in January 2026 after 25 years as a Conservative MP. His Reform constituency office is in Margaret Thatcher House, Romford just as it was when he was a Conservative.3 So, no change there then.
Politics in Havering
This is the 360th weekly blog about Havering’s politics and it’s still difficult to understand the complexity of the political scene. Virtually none of the ‘political’ action is political in any meaningful way. There are six political groups for 55 councillors.4 Thirteen councillors, the GLA member and Romford’s MP have defected during the last four years. No by-elections have been called. Meanwhile the borough is bankrupt. This hasn’t been caused by stupidity but by inexorable financial pressures. Looming on the horizon are Farage’s opportunistic acolytes with their ludicrous Elon Musk version of his ‘thinking’.5
The democratic deficit is alive and well in Havering.
Addendum: Andrew Rosindell ~ Definitely, Maybe
Six weeks after Andrew’s defection he is still advertising the Conservative message. Perhaps he’ll follow Jacquline McArdle and change his mind? Perhaps he’s waiting for Farage’s millionaire sponsors to fund the dismantling? Who knows?
Notes
1 HRA = Havering Residents Association
2 Cranham Residents Association Independent Group
3 Andrew Rosindell: The Cuckoo in the Nest? – Politics in Havering
4 Thirteen is 24% of the total council.
5 This is a decent example of his ‘thinking’;
Reform would “attempt” not to borrow more if it took control of the cash-strapped Havering Council, Nigel Farage says. Reform Would Attempt Not To Borrow If It Takes Control Of Havering. – The Havering Daily
Politics in Havering 
Chris, with reference to “Havering Councillors ~ ‘Carry on Defecting“, I think we (those of us who were in the Labour Group back in 1998) should feel a little ‘uncomfortable’ because two elected Members, shortly after they were elected in May 1998, defected to us when we were in Administration. One from the Cranham RAs and one from the Romford Conservatives and we didn’t object nor push for a by-election!
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Thank you for your comment
It is absolutely standard for defecting politicians to avoid a by-election. And indeed to have two elective offices at the same time….Boris Johnson as London Mayor and MP & Andrew Rosindell as councillor and MP but I still think that it is wrong.
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Chris, I absolutely agree with you but why is it made so easy for people to do that? They clearly have no morality !!
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Thank you for your comment
The winners make the rules and everyone believes in elections up to the point that they think that they might lose.
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and Conservative Councillors John & Philippa Crowder to the HRA – same time as Christine Smith
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and Conservative Councillors John & Philippa Crowder to the HRA – same time as Christine Smith
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Thank you so much for this. I’ll edit the blog.
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The HRA Group has 25 members but only the 2 Emerson Park councillors were elected as HRA, so the other 23 (1 Labour, 6 Conservative and 16 various RAs) all jumped ship without holding by-elections.
You don’t mention the various RAs as jumpers, but if you get elected as e.g. Hornchurch RA on a promise to put Hornchurch first, you’ve jumped ship if you then join a Havering Residents Association on a promise to put Havering first.
Hence why, to help balance Havering’s books, the Hornchurch councillors never opposed the sale of car parks and abolition of 30 mins free parking. despite getting elected on a promise to support the shopping centre.
Other jumpers include 3 Cons joining Reform, 2 UCRA joining RAIG and 1 Con leaving and rejoining Con.
So far, 29 (53%) out of 55 councillors have changed sides and about 20% don’t attend Council meetings.
STOP PRESS: RAIG have split with Cllr Ruck becoming Independent and Cllr Tyler returning to UCRA. So running total of 31 defections!
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Thank youfor your comment.
I disapprove of defections without by-elections but that’s the law and so and so I have to accept it. HRA isn’t a political party it is an umbrella organisation.
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I agree with election law, you are elected as an individual, so no requirement to resign when changing sides as there can be honourable not merely mercenary reasons to change sides,but the law needs changing to allow voters the chance to vote out unpopular councillors/MPs by introducing annual elections and/or recall elections.
The HRA is a political party and Cllr Gillian Ford is Leader of the HRA.
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Thank you for your comment
Wait for the candidate lists. Then you might see that the legacy RA groups re-emerge. That’s my bet.
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They will where they can, but otherwise will stand as HRA.
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