James Giles (British politician)

James Giles
Leader of the Opposition on Kingston upon Thames Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 November 2023
Leader of the Kingston Independent Residents Group
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2022
Preceded byHelen Hinton
Member of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2022
WardGreen Lane and St James Ward
Preceded bySeat created
Personal details
BornApril 2000 (age 25)
New Malden, London, United Kingdom
PartyKingston Independent Residents Group
Workers Party of Britain (2024)
Websitejamesgiles.uk

James Giles (born April 2000)[1] is a British political advisor, activist and local councillor. He is the leader of the Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG) political party in England and has been involved in the establishment of Your Party.

Career

Education, journalism and political campaigning

Giles was born and grew up with his mother on a council estate in the London suburb of New Malden.[2][3] In 2008, when attending Burlington Junior School, he founded the student newsletter Burlington Weekly, subsequently expanded to cover extramural news as Weekly Express.[4]

On enrolling at Coombe Boys' School he launched the Coombe Monthly, which grew into a newspaper with its own website. Its Twitter audience included the Kingston and Surbiton MP Ed Davey and a number of the borough councillors. In 2014, he edited an issue on fracking, and interviewed the Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis (Conservative) for another issue.[4] In the same year, he helped his grandmother, the local ex-deputy postmistress Yvonne Tracey, lead a successful campaign against plans to cut staff at the New Malden post office.[5][4] The Coombe Monthly was later renamed as the Kingston Enquirer. In 2018, Giles challenged Davis in a public council meeting about a conflict of interests relating to his family, sparking a minor media scandal.[6] He criticised the 2019 attempt by Kingston council's Liberal Democrat administration to limit the influence of residents on council decision-making, which originated in the Local Government Association's report that "a small group of campaigners is greatly overrepresented at meetings".[7]

He studied politics at Royal Holloway, University of London as of 2019.[8]

Giles was a guest and a host of George Galloway's programme The Mother of All Talk Shows on Radio Sputnik in 2020. For 6 weeks in 2021, he co-hosted Galloway's Sputnik: Orbiting the World show on RT UK.[9]

Local government

Giles chaired the campaign group Malden Independent Community Organisation (MICO) between 2016 and 2021.[10][11][12] He co-founded the Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG) English political party in February 2017 with the Conservative Cllr Mary Jean Clark,[2][13] New Malden's former deputy mayor.[14] After serving as the KIRG's deputy leader in 2022,[2] he became the party leader by 2024.[15] He has been a councillor for Green Lane & St James' since 5 May 2022 election and leads The Opposition Group / Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG) in the Borough Council.[9]

While managing the successful campaign of his grandmother, Yvonne Tracey, on a KIRG ticket in the Kingston Borough Council by-election in November 2022, he produced a controversial leaflet accusing the Muslim Ahmadiyya community, to which Tracey's rival Mahmood Rafiq belonged, of propagating homophobia.[16] He was investigated by the police over alleged hate crime against the Ahmadiyya, which is denounced as non-Muslim by some Muslim groups, but no charges were brought.[17]

In November 2023, he was suspended from his position as a member of the Community Wellbeing Board of the Local Government Association (LGA) after circulating a petition for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, which stated that the names of councillors who did not sign would be published "in the interest of accountability".[18] This was criticised by several councillors as being threatening or intimidating.[19][20] Giles was cleared of 'threatening behaviour', 'bullying' or 'harassment' in an independent investigation report commissioned by Kingston Council, and has taken up new roles with the LGA since.

Public relations and business

He has been a director of New Malden Markets Ltd since 2024.[21]

National politics

Giles stood as an independent candidate in the 2019 general election in Kingston and Surbiton.[22] He was reported to be London's youngest candidate and the youngest independent candidate in the country's history.[23][24] He received 458 votes (0.8 %).

In June 2021, he was the campaign manager for the Workers Party of Britain candidate George Galloway in the Batley and Spen by-election.[2][25][26] He threatened a legal challenge against the election result.[27]

In February 2024, he managed Galloway's successful campaign in the Rochdale by-election following the death of Labour's Tony Lloyd.[9][28][29] At that time, he claimed that his political consultancy work was separate from his personal politics,[9] and was not a member of the Workers Party.[30] However, by March 2024, he was reported to be helping Galloway launch a national movement based on the Workers Party.[17]

In the 2024 general election that July, Giles stood as the Workers Party candidate for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North on a pro-Palestinian platform, coming second with 27% of the vote and losing by 1,500 votes to Liam Byrne of the Labour Party.[31][32][33] He also oversaw his grandmother and fellow independent Kingston councillor Yvonne Tracey's single-issue campaign in the Kingston and Surbiton seat, revolving around the incumbent Ed Davey's involvement in the British Post Office scandal,[16][5][34] despite the competition from a Workers Party candidate.[35]

Following the election, in July 2024, Giles became chief of staff to Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr and was hired as adviser by the other elected independent MPs supporting the Palestinian cause: Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed,[28][36] all of whom subsequently formed the Independent Alliance with Jeremy Corbyn. He deputised for Khan at the Local Government Association's Independent Group Annual Conference in January 2025.[37] He was a voting member of the organising committee that launched 'Your Party' in July 2025 and worked on the committee's volunteer 'ops team' as an electoral law adviser.[38] Giles was excluded from the first Your Party conference amid an alleged factional dispute between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, the party's co-founders. Sources said Sultana was told he was barred over a "private matter" linked to an ongoing Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) inquiry. Giles, denying any contact with the ICO, said that Karie Murphy, Corbyn's former chief of staff, was behind the decision. Sultana then boycotted the conference in protest, expressly citing the expulsion of Giles as her reason.[39]

Views

Giles described his political beliefs as "localist" in early 2024.[9] His 2019 election campaign for the British parliament was characterised as "hyper-local" and criticised previous MPs for their loyalty to their party over their constituency.[3]

He opposed the reduction of the voting age to 16 in the United Kingdom as of 2019, citing concerns over the influence of fake news and social media, and advocated the teaching of government and politics in secondary schools instead.[3]

Personal life

Giles has referred to himself as "Kingston's only openly gay councillor".[16]

References

  1. ^ "James Giles: appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Curzon, Emma (2 May 2022). "Kingston Independent Residents' Group (KIRG): a controversial party". Kingston Courier. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Manning, Danielle (2 November 2019). "Teenage community activist launches campaign to unseat Ed Davey in Kingston and Surbiton". South West Londoner. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Logan, Ross (20 July 2014). "Unsung hero: Teenage campaigning journalist". Surrey Comet. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  5. ^ a b Keogh, Glen (14 January 2024). "Yvonne Tracey: the former postmistress coming for Ed Davey's seat". The Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024.
  6. ^ Morrison, Sean (1 February 2018). "London council leader Kevin Davis forced to apologise over branding teenage campaigner an 'appalling little child' in Twitter rant". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Time limit on public speaking 'an attack on democracy'". BBC News. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  8. ^ Bayley, Sian (7 November 2019). "Teenager hoping to be Kingston and Surbiton's MP". Surrey Comet. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Charlie (25 February 2024). "Kingston councillor working for George Galloway on Rochdale by-election says role is 'perfectly legitimate'". Kingston Courier. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  10. ^ Ross, Alistair (27 October 2016). "Kingston Council scraps Go Cycle Fountain Roundabout proposal". Kingston Courier. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Jonathan (31 March 2017). "'A silly campaign based on fear': Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis hits back as campaigners gather to protest New Malden development plan". Surrey Comet. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018.
  12. ^ Muir, Rachel (8 October 2021). "New Malden residents raise £7k to oppose nine-storey tower block". South West Londoner. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Registrations". Electoral Commission (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  14. ^ Mounce, Ross (8 July 2023). "Presented by Cllr James Giles in memory of Mary Jean Clark 11 April 1937 – 28 April 2022". Open Benches. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  15. ^ Quinn, Ben (4 March 2024). "George Galloway targets Angela Rayner's seat after he is sworn in as MP". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Barnes, Hannah (3 February 2024). "The woman hunting Ed Davey". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b Pogrund, Gabriel (3 March 2024). "George Galloway's Rochdale victory reveals Muslim dissent at Keir Starmer". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025.
  18. ^ Boakye, Kwame (20 November 2023). "Updated: Councillor suspended from LGA roles after Gaza open letter". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  19. ^ Bolton, Will (20 November 2023). "Councillor 'intimidated' colleagues to sign Gaza ceasefire letter". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  20. ^ Price, Emily (20 November 2023). "London councillor criticized for 'intimidating' email to Welsh councillors". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  21. ^ "New Malden Markets Limited (Company number 13993572)". Companies House. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Will we have a 19-year-old MP?". BBC News. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025.
  23. ^ Talora, Joe (16 November 2019). "Kingston's teenage election candidate says he's "in it to win it"". Kingston Courier. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  24. ^ Harvey, Devon (7 November 2019). "James Giles of RHUL to run for MP". The Royal Holloway Tab. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  25. ^ Courea, Eleni; Wace, Charlotte (2 July 2021). "Batley and Spen by‑election: Hancock 'derailed Tory hopes'". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025.
  26. ^ Drury, Colin (2 July 2021). "Inside the Batley and Spen count: How Labour won by-election that went down to 'squeaky bum time'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  27. ^ Scott, Geraldine (6 August 2021). "Galloway 'confident' about by-election legal challenge despite deadline passing". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  28. ^ a b Penna, Dominic (28 July 2024). "George Galloway's campaign chief advising new pro-Gaza independent MPs". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  29. ^ Hurst, Pat (13 February 2024). "Voters in Rochdale say they have 'tuned out' of local politics". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  30. ^ Quinn, Ben (4 March 2024). "Galloway win makes Workers party a focus for far-left challenges to Labour". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024.
  31. ^ Stacey, Kiran (5 July 2024). "Senior Labour figures admit stance on Gaza cost party seats". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  32. ^ Mulla, Imran (9 July 2024). "UK: Would a 'Melenchon-like' electoral alliance have cost Labour more seats?". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  33. ^ Gilbert, Simon (21 July 2024). "Why did Muslims in Birmingham turn away from Labour?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  34. ^ Kelly, Kieran (14 January 2024). "'I'm up for a fight': 'Angry' former postmistress plans to take Ed Davey's seat at the next general election". LBC. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  35. ^ Tomorrow's MPs (8 June 2024). "Kingston & Surbiton". Twitter. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  36. ^ Rodgers, Sienna (4 September 2025). "Inside the Founding of Jeremy Corbyn's New Party: 'End This Horrible Power Struggle'". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  37. ^ Overton, Marianne (22 January 2025). "From LGA Independent Group Leader, Marianne Overton MBE". Local Government Association. Archived from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  38. ^ Woodrow, Archie (9 September 2025). "Whose Party Is It Anyway?". Prometheus Journal. Archived from the original on 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  39. ^ MP, Adnan Hussain (2025-11-29). ""End The Witch-hunt": The First 24 Hours At The Chaotic 'Your Party' Conference". Politics Home. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
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