A Labour councillor for Colliers Wood has insisted he won’t give up his seat until the local elections of May 2022 – despite moving to southern Italy on Monday. Councillor Dave Ward – who also chairs Merton’s planning committee – claims he will simply fly back to Britain for committee meetings whilst he conducts the rest of his business from his new home in sunny Palata. Asked the reasonable question of how he plans to fulfill his ward duties from over 1,000 miles away, Ward said “there’s this thing called the internet”.

To be fair to Ward, he was never shy about the move: on the contrary, he documented the entire journey via social media. Upon arrival in Italy, he tweeted a picture of the view from his new balcony, along with the caption:

“We have moved in. Basics (wine and somewhere to sleep) are done. The rest of the unpacking tomorrow. M has (of course) introduced us to all of the neighbours.”

Ward insists the move isn’t permanent, and that “everyone is allowed a summer holiday”. Admittedly most people don’t buy their holiday home. Ciao for now…