A veteran Labour activist has quit the party after nearly 50 years with blasts for Sir Keir Starmer and local MP Angela Rayner, who he said was seen less often ‘than Lord Lucan‘.

Barrie Holland, 82, left the party amid disillusionment at the job being done by disgraced former deputy leader Ms Rayner, whose constituency includes Droylsden – home town of Take That star Howard Donald, 57.

Describing the Greater Manchester town as a ‘war zone,’ Mr Holland – who has represented Labour on the local council for 34 years – lashed out as he announced he would now sit as an independent member.

‘I’m seeing more of Lord Lucan here than I am of Angela Rayner,’ said Mr Holland, whose home town is part of her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.

‘She’s brought absolutely nothing into the town – it’s like a war zone.

‘The amount of people in Droylsden who’ve said to me: “We voted for you, but it isn’t what we voted for.”

‘It’s not the Labour Party.

‘That’s people I’ve known here for 50 years, loyal Labour Party supporters.’

Veteran Labour councillor Barrie Holland has quit the party after more than 50 years, saying disgraced ex-deputy PM and constituency MP Angela Rayner is seen less often in his ‘war zone’ home town of Droylsden (pictured) than Lord Lucan

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Councillor Barrie Holland, 82, (pictured) complained that Ms Rayner had ‘brought absolutely nothing’ into Droylsden

Mr Holland has previously spoken out about the centre of Droylsden turning into a ‘ghost town’, and says three-quarters of shop units are now boarded up.

‘It’s disappointing,’ he added.

‘She was a deputy leader of the Labour Party, but you look at the town centre and she’s not brought one atom into it.

‘There’s no excuse because the tram goes right through it. It’s got first class transport links.’

Mr Holland also took aim at the PM, saying: ‘It’s almost as if Starmer’s sanitised the politics out of the Labour Party.

‘When I joined, it was the party of Harold Wilson. People like Michael Foot.

‘I don’t know what it is now, honestly.’

He also slammed the amount of money being spent in other parts of the Tameside borough by the Labour-dominated local council, including a canopy above nearby Ashton-under-Lyne’s market – branding the structure an ‘iron tent’.

A lone shopper in Droylsden’s ‘run down’ shopping centre, now facing part demolition with as many as three-quarters of its units empty and boarded up

Artist’s impression of new canopy being built above Ashton-under-Lyne’s market outdoor at a cost of about £4.5million – a contrast to how nearby Droylsden has been abandoned, according to local councillor Barrie Holland

Embattled PM Sir Keir Starmer pictured at last year’s Labour conference with then deputy Angela Rayner

‘It just doesn’t filter down to us,’ he added.

‘I’ve been a member for nearly 50 years but I’ve resigned forthwith.

‘I’ve had enough of it.’

Mr Holland’s departure follows that of his wife Ann, fellow former long-term Labour councillor who quit the party last month.

She announced she would stand as an independent candidate next May after failing to be reselected by Labour.

His comments come as Labour’s national poll ratings and the PM’s popularity both tumble, with a YouGov survey of 2,100 people finding that 23 per cent think the party should replace him immediately.

Ms Rayner – who was also Housing Secretary – was forced to resign from her Cabinet roles in September after it emerged that she did not pay £40,000 of stamp duty owed on the purchase of a flat in Hove, East Sussex.

The Prime Minister’s ethics adviser ruled she breached the ministerial code by failing to get tax advice when buying the new house, despite warnings about her complex finances.

Mr Holland also hit out at the fall-out from the ‘vile’ Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp group – over which another local MP, sacked former public health minister Andrew Gwynne, remains suspended.

He complained that other Labour members involved in the group had been ‘welcomed back into the fold’ while his wife wasn’t allowed to stand again despite ’30-odd years membership’.

Locals in Droylsden – home to around 23,000 people – have branded the shopping centre ‘very run down’ and ‘forgotten’.

Many residents of the town – whose famous musical sons also include 10cc founder member Eric Stewart – say they have to travel elsewhere in Greater Manchester to buy what they need.

Tameside council recently granted the shopping centre’s owner permission to demolish part of the site to make way for new retail units and housing.

The plan is part of proposals which aim to turn Droylsden into ‘a thriving town and a great place to live and work’.

It is understood that Labour suspended Mr Holland yesterday amid allegations he delivered campaign leaflets on behalf of his wife.

Sources insisted Ms Rayner maintained a ‘high profile’ role in Droylsden as part of her role as local MP, including visiting a primary school in the past fortnight and holding regular advice surgeries in the town.

She has also worked with Droylsden residents to secure a police crackdown on off-road motorbikes damaging a popular green space and helped deliver a new affordable housing scheme for locals.

Tameside council was approached for comment.