| Country: | the United Kingdom |
| Kingston Independent Residents Group | |
| Leader1 Title: | Chair |
| Leader1 Name: | James Giles |
| Colours: | Pink |
| Seats3 Title: | Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council |
The Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG) is a political party in the United Kingdom. The party was launched in 2017 and formed from a number of residents groups in the area of Kingston upon Thames.[1] At the time, the group claimed to be 'proudly founded by those of all political persuasions and none'. Sitting councillors Mary Clark and David Fraser defected from the Conservative Party prior to the 2018 election. The party promotes a local agenda that seeks to give residents, towns and parishes a greater say in the future of their town. They currently have two seats on the Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council and form the main opposition group alongside an independent councillor.
Kingston Independent Residents Group fought their first local elections in May 2018, with 15 candidates standing for seats in the Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council.[2] They did not win any seats.[3]
They fielded nineteen candidates in the 2022 Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council election,[4] receiving 5% of the vote and winning a seat in Green Lane & St James Ward.[5]
On 10 November 2022, Kingston Independent Residents Group won their second seat on Kingston Council, gaining the second seat of the Green Lane & St James Ward from the Liberal Democrats in a by-election.[6]
In January 2024, KIRG councillor Yvonne Tracey announced her plan to contest the 2024 United Kingdom general election as a candidate in Kingston and Surbiton, challenging incumbent MP Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, in response to the ongoing Post Office scandal, for which Davey was the Under-Secretary for Postal Affairs between 2010-12.[7] Tracey lost her deposit, coming sixth with 2.3% of the vote.[8]