THE leader of Herefordshire’s Green group of councillors has been banned from the party for “at least six months”, over her views on gender and backing of ‘safe spaces’ for women.

Hereford and South Herefordshire 2024 Green general election candidate Coun Diana Toynbee has led the nine-strong group since her predecessor and recent party leader candidate Ellie Chowns was elected MP for North Herefordshire last year.

But in a remarkable move, the national party has now reportedly banned her from serving as a Green councillor “for at least six months”, she said in a statement.

“The central party establishment has ruled that I must be punished for my views on gender and safeguarding, and this is the painful culmination of years of intimidation,” she said.

She will now join the Independents for Herefordshire (i4H) group on the council, “with whom I share values of freedom of expression and independent-mindedness”, she added.

Coun Toynbee, who represents the Greyfriards ward in south Hereford, has been outspoken, particularly on Twitter, now X, on what she sees as the compromising of women’s rights to the trans agenda.

This became one of the issues in the party’s recent leadership election, in which Dr Chowns and candidate co-leader Adrian Ramsay, were defeated by outspokenly pro-trans supporter Zack Polanski.

In an X post sent on 25 November, Toynbee said there was "nothing right wing about child safeguarding and respecting women" and "nothing more anti-feminist than saying a woman is no more than a costume, identity or fantasy".

The Green Party's rights and responsibilities page states "trans men are men, trans women are women, and that non-binary identities exist and are valid".

The party also supports making it easier for trans people to change their legal status without the need for a Gender Reassignment Certificate (GRC).

Revealing her ban, Coun Toynbee said: “As a councillor it is very important that I can speak freely about matters of concern to residents, including women’s rights and child safeguarding,.

“It’s shocking that this has triggered disciplinary action from the Green Party, but I will always put the wellbeing of local people above chanting political slogans.”

She said she had been “touched by the huge amount of support I receive from people from all backgrounds and views, who want politicians with minds of their own who don’t pretend to believe things they don’t believe”.

“My priority has not changed – to serve the people and nature of Herefordshire,” she added.

“I look forward to continuing this work within the Independent group, whose welcome I much appreciate.”

This leaves both the Greens and i4H, who jointly led the council until 2023, with eight councillors apiece.

The two groups have long been political bedfellows and jointly ran the council until the last elections in May 2023.

Since then the Conservatives have run the county administration as a minority with 20 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats have 12.

The Green Party and Ellie Chowns MP have both been approached for comment.