Gateshead councillor resigns from Labour Party with attack on Government

Coun Jane McCoid now stands as Gateshead Council's sole independent councillor, following her resignation from the Labour Party.
-Credit: (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)


A Labour councillor has resigned from the party with a wide-ranging attack on Sir Keir Starmer's Government.

Lamesley councillor Jane McCoid has announced her resignation from Labour in a statement entitled "Enough is Enough". Coun McCoid, who will now sit as an independent until 2026, says she will continue to serve the residents of Lamesley while criticising her former party.

In her statement, Coun McCoid said: "I joined the party when there was hope, and in my eyes all hope has gone."

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Coun McCoid described the Government's reduction in the winter fuel allowance as an "attack" on vulnerable citizens and said it was "impossible to defend." The now-independent councillor also spoke out against the Government's refusal to remove the two-child benefit cap, which "would have helped lift children and their families out of poverty."

Coun McCoid also criticised Labour's stance on the situation in Gaza and Sir Keir's acceptance of donations for clothes and glasses. The Prime Minister has maintained that he has always followed the rule on donations but at the weekend it was said that he, Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves would no longer accept further donations for clothing. The clothing row was described by coun McCoid as "offensive to a mother struggling to clothe her children".

In response, Gateshead Council's leader Martin Gannon said: "I would remind you that you were elected as a representative of the Labour Party. It is always the case, in any political party, that it is impossible for every member to agree on every aspect of policy. However, we are all entitled to debate the issues and to campaign for change within the party.

"Yes, you can resign and continue to sit as a member of the council as an independent member. However, I do believe that the honourable course of action, if you have differences with the current policy and direction of the leadership of the Labour Party, is to stay and debate those issues in the party you were elected to represent.

"If, at the end of your term in office, you no longer believe that you can represent the party, at that stage you could decide not to stand for re-election. I do hope that you reflect upon your decision".

A Labour spokesperson said: "Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party. Just two months ago, the British public put its faith in the Labour Party. Now this Government is getting on with the job of change."