Fenham councillor Karen Kilgour set to become the first female leader in Newcastle City Council's history

Karen Kilgour has been confirmed as Labour’s new leader in Newcastle.

Members of the city’s ruling party gathered on Monday night to formally crown the West Fenham councillor as Nick Kemp’s successor. She ran unopposed in the leadership contest and is now set to make history as the first woman to lead Newcastle City Council.

Coun Kemp resigned on September 20 after the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed he was the subject of a bullying complaint from a senior council officer. He has said he “strenuously” denies the accusation.

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Having been named as leader of the city’s Labour group, Coun Kilgour is now due to officially be voted in as leader of the local authority at a full council meeting on Wednesday night. She said: “It is an absolute honour to be selected to lead Newcastle Labour Group by my friends and colleagues. Ever since I was elected as a councillor, I have worked tooth and nail to deliver for Newcastle residents.

“This has been a tough time for our council, and should I be elected leader at full council on Wednesday, I will waste no time in getting straight to the job. This council has a fantastic record on delivering high quality public services, and that will be my absolute priority as its leader. I want to lead a forward looking council that the people of Newcastle will be proud of.

“I’d finally like to thank my colleagues in the Labour Group for electing me, and please know that my door will always be open.”

The LDRS detailed last Friday how Coun Kilgour had emerged as the sole candidate to take over from Coun Kemp, whose deputy she has served as since 2022. That was despite the intervention of the national Labour Party, with sources reporting that other potential candidates had been asked to step forward.

Coun Kilgour has sat on the council for 10 years and also spent a year as deputy leader in the final 12 months of Nick Forbes’ administration. She will take on the challenge of uniting a Labour group that has experienced public divisions over recent years, ahead of a critical ‘all out’ local election in 2026 in which the party will be battling to retain control of a council it has run since 2011.

At Monday’s meeting, Coun Stephen Powers was also voted in as the Labour group’s chief whip.