Newcastle Labour exodus as ex-council leader Nick Kemp and five others quit

The former leader of Newcastle City Council and five other councillors have quit Labour and wiped out the party’s majority on the local authority.

In yet another episode of political chaos in the city’s corridors of power, it has emerged that Nick Kemp is now sitting as an independent – just weeks after he resigned as leader in the wake of a bullying complaint that was made against him by a senior civic centre director. He has been joined by Marion Williams, who was recently shuffled out of the authority’s Labour cabinet after Karen Kilgour’s ascension to the leadership, as well as East End councillors John Stokel-Walker, and David, Margaret, and Stevie Wood.

That exodus leaves the council in ‘no overall control’ territory. The ruling Labour group now holds only 50% of the council’s seats, 39 out of 78, though in practice it is expected to remain in power as the largest party. There are currently 11 independents on the council, 22 Liberal Democrats, three Newcastle Independents, two Greens, and one Conservative. Labour has been the dominant force on the council since 2011, when it seized back power after seven years of Lib Dem rule.

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson confirmed: “The council has been notified that six members have resigned from the Labour group and will now sit as independent councillors. These resignations do not affect the membership of the cabinet and the political leadership of the council remains the same. Council business will continue to operate as normal.”

A Labour party source called on the six to step down as councillors and trigger by-elections. They said: “These councillors were all elected as Labour candidates. The people of Blakelaw, Byker, Walker, Walkergate elected them as Labour councillors. They should have the courage of their convictions, call by elections and contest them as independents.”

The group who have resigned from Labour include a number of party stalwarts, boasting decades of service on the council between them – Coun David Wood has been a Labour councillor since 1989, his wife Margaret since 1998, Coun Stokel-Walker since 2001, and Coun Kemp since 2002.

Coun David Wood cited the Government's cuts to the winter fuel allowance, increase in bus fare cap, and yesterday’s university tuition fee rise as key reasons behind his decision. The 75-year-old also told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he had been upset by “having people imposed on us by the regional office”, in reference to Labour North’s intervention in the Newcastle group’s recent leadership selection.

He added: “I had really high hopes after they were elected in July, but it looks to me like nothing has changed. I know some of my colleagues think the same. I will be surprised if we are the only ones to jump.” Coun Wood added that he would “still be fighting for the people of Walker, as I have done for the last 36 years”, confirming that he, his wife, and ward colleague Coun Stokel-Walker all intend to stay on until the next set of council elections in 2026.

Coun Stevie Wood, of neighbouring Walkergate ward, said that his anger at the cuts to the winter fuel allowance and “interference” from Labour North led him to give up his party membership after 50 years. He added: “It is not for me anymore. I feel for some of the good people who are still there, but it is not for me. This didn’t happen in 10 minutes, it has been building up in me for a while. For me, it was just that I am not prepared to live my life in these circumstances.”

Coun Kemp resigned as council leader in September, after it emerged that he was the subject of a bullying complaint from council director Michelle Percy. He has said he strenuously denies the allegation and the council is yet to confirm whether or not it will be the subject of a full investigation.

Coun Kilgour, his former deputy, was then appointed to replace the Byker councillor as leader – becoming the first woman in the city’s history to hold the top job. The loss of Labour’s overall majority just weeks into her reign will come as a major blow.

It is also understood that Labour councillor Jane Byrne, who recently rebelled against the party in two votes related to the Government’s cuts to winter fuel payments, is also currently suspended from the group – effectively leaving it with only 38 full members at present.

Splits within Newcastle Labour have repeatedly burst into the public domain over recent years, including with the sudden departure of long-serving former council leader Nick Forbes when he was de-selected by party members in his own ward in 2022. The ensuing scramble for power saw Coun Kemp ultimately prevail, but he was challenged for the leadership in each of the past two years – most recently when he narrowly defeated Dan Greenhough this May in a 23-21 vote.

ChrinicleLive has attempted to contact all six of the newly-independent councillors for comment.

Colin Fergsuon, leader of the city’s Lib Dem opposition, said: “When I asked how the new Leader planned to restore confidence at the October meeting of Council, I was asking about the public mood, not about Labour members. And now we have six high profile resignations: was it right that my question then was dismissed out of hand so easily?

“This Labour chaos is not the way to deliver for the people of Newcastle, and any hope that this sorry psychodrama would end seems ill placed. Forget about public confidence in this administration: do they have the confidence of the chamber?”

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