A GREEN Party stalwart has hit back at claims his party is a watered down version of Labour.

Mark Goacher, who has been the General Election candidate for the Greens on the previous two occasions, has responded to the accusations from Victoria Weaver, who defected to Labour hours after being defeated in a Colchester Council by-election two weeks ago.

Explaining her reasons for the switch, Miss Weaver said she believed the Green Party were splitting the left-wing vote.

Mr Goacher said: “Those claims are very misleading. The Green Party is not the same as the Labour Party.

“We are the only political party which has environmental issues at the heart of our programme - Labour pays lip service to them but that is all it is. We are the only party in Colchester which is absolutely opposing the garden community at West Tey and dumping a large number of houses on Mersea.

“Nationally we are the only party taking climate change and wildlife loss deadly seriously. We are very different to Labour.

“Up and down the country Green councillors work to change things. In Witham they have led the campaign against the Rivenhall incinerator which is something a lot of people are against.

“It is simply not the case we are some kind of off-shoot of the Labour party.”

Miss Weaver said she was sorry to her former colleagues after the announcement she was leaving and admitted it may have been a mistake to stand in the election - won by Conservative Vic Flores - when she was toying with joining a rival party.

Mr Goacher said he and his colleagues were grateful for her apology.

He said: “Of course, when we heard she was leaving we were all upset and disappointed.

“We had all been out in Shrub End leafleting for her.

“Her apology is something we fully accept and everyone wishes her very well for the future.”