A new opposition leader on Dartford council has been chosen amid a shake-up of the local party and a move "away from Corbynism".

In a recent vote Cllr Kelly Grehan was elected the new leader by her fellow Labour councillors.

The Stone House councillor is the first ever female councillor to the elected leader of the Labour Group in Dartford and replaces former leader Cllr Sacha Gosine. Cllr Alina Gaskin has been elected the new deputy leader.

Speaking after the vote, Kelly, who also serves as a Kent county councillor for north Dartford, said: “It’s an honour to be elected leader and I’d like to thank my colleagues for their support and the trust they’ve put in me.

"I’d also like to express my thanks to Sacha Gosine for his work as leader over the last three years."

"I’ve lived in Dartford all my life and it’s a great community – but I know from the case work I receive every day that many people in our town are facing real pressures."

It comes as part of a recent shake-up of the local Labour party which has seen two serving councillors depart to sit as independents amid reports several party members had been ousted and memberships suspended.

Newtown councillor Adrian Oakley-Dow, who served as deputy leader, has resigned from the party – but no reason has been given for his departure.

His colleague, Ebbsfleet's Romana Gosine, the partner of former leader Sacha Gosine, was reportedly expelled due to an alleged "breach of the rules" following an internal disciplinary process. Both did not respond to requests for comment.

It means three of the 10 Labour councillors elected in 2019 have now left the party.

Last year Cllr Laura Edie left and joined the Greens citing irreconcilable differences with the national leadership, adding that the party not longer represented her "socialist values".

When quizzed on these departures, Cllr Grehan said it "wouldn't be appropriate to comment on individual matters".

But she added the Labour Party takes "breaches of rules seriously" and will "take appropriate action where necessary".

Meanwhile, Dartford council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite welcomed Cllr Grehan but expressed concerns over the flurry of departures.

He accused the opposition of engaging in "internal squabbles" and said the Conservatives would look to "work collaboratively" with independent councillors – including those who have now left Labour.

The Tory said: "There seems to be a lot of sniping and internal squabbles among left-wing members, some of which have surfaced publicly, and it looks like the former group leader has now been a casualty.

"I know the internal party wrangling has not been easy for Sacha and on a personal level I wish him and his family well."

But a local Labour party member dismissed claims of "disquiet" within their own ranks.

"The idea people are being pushed out is wrong," they said. "If rules were not broken none of this would have happened. It is unfortunate what happened but it did."

They added the change in local leadership was part of a national move "away from Corbynism" to better align with what the party's direction under Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner.