Greens back former Labour councillor’s bid to become MP at next general election

The Green Party is backing a former Labour councillor’s bid to become an MP at the next general election. Instead of fielding their own candidate in the new Heywood County constituency they are getting behind independent Chris Furlong.

Chris, a Heywood resident of some 25 years, represented North Middleton on Rochdale council between 2014 and 2018. Despite losing his seat, he has remained active in the community, chairing the charity that runs the Back o'th Moss Community Centre and volunteering with the Army of Kindness Soup Kitchen.

The dad-of-two says he is proud to have what he describes as an ‘historic endorsement’ from the Greens. “I have always been a strong green advocate and went to many campaign days on rallies with Middleton Save the Greenbelt while I was a councillor,” he said.READ MORE: Labour picks Rochdale councillor to fight fallen red wall seat at next general election

However, he admits his stance as an ‘avid defender of the green belt’ put him at odds with the Labour leadership of the council at the time. “To be honest, I was constantly being dragged in front of the whip because I was going to save the green belt marches,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “As a councillor you are there to represent the people that elected you, not just to go along with the party.”Chris says he would take a similar approach as an MP and ‘not be bothered about ruffling feathers’. He sees the absence of any party machinery as being a big advantage of being an independent candidate.

“There is no whip, party or leader telling you what to do, you do what you can for the constituents,” he added. The 50-year-old says he has often been encouraged to return to politics since losing his council seat, but had