Five councillors at a north London council have defected from the Labour Party and joined the Greens.

Their decision means the Greens now have representation on Brent Council, but Labour still retain political control.

Zack Polanski, leader of The Green Party of England and Wales, said the defections were part of a “Green surge” in London.

A Labour spokesperson said that most of the councillors were not eligible to be part of the Labour party.

The councillors who joined the Greens are: Harbi Farah and Mary Mitchell, who represent Welsh Harp, Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam, who represents Wembley Park, Tony Ethapemi, who represents Stonebridge and Erica Gbajumo, who represents Brondesbury Park.

The Labour group now has 44 councillors, with the Greens on five. The Conservatives have five councillors and the Liberal Democrats have three.

Zack Polanski said: “Labour has abandoned any sense of progressive politics and is showing absolute cowardice in its doomed attempt to out-Reform Reform with the politics of division and scapegoating.”

Across London, the Greens now have 41 out of the more than 1,800 councillors in the capital’s 32 boroughs.

A Labour spokesperson said: “For the avoidance of doubt, all but one of the individuals unveiled were not selected to stand for the Labour party at the next election, as they fell below the standards we require of those seeking to represent Labour.

“The Labour party operates rigorous and transparent selection processes and maintains the highest standards for its candidates.

“Mr Polanski’s approach suggests a far lower bar for entry, raising serious questions about the level of scrutiny and judgment applied in the Green party.”