“Redcar Labour Party in Turmoil” - Redcar MP Ian Swales

After months of infighting, Redcar Labour party’s feud over the vastly unpopular selection of a parliamentary candidate from Kent, Anna Turley, finally came to a head today.

After mass de-selection of some of their most senior cabinet members, 10 Labour Party councillors publicly resigned from the Labour party today outside the office of Kent PPC Anna Turley.

The de-selected councillors include council leader George Dunning, deputy leader Sheelagh Clarke and cabinet members Steve Goldswain, Mark Hannon and Norman Pickthall. Chairman of the Fire Authority Brian Briggs and former Mayor Vic Jeffries were also de-selected. Cabinet member Olwyn Peters, former Mayor Wendy Wall and current Redcar and Cleveland Mayor Carole Simms joined the de-selected members in their mass-resignation this afternoon.

The Labour party members staged a protest outside Anna Turley’s office today where they were pictured tearing up mock membership cards and speaking out against the so-called “Labour bullies”.

MP Ian Swales commented:

 “The Labour party in Redcar is clearly falling apart. All we’ve seen since the selection of their unpopular Kent candidate is a very obvious split in their group and some very public in-fighting.

“After all this petty fighting and back stabbing, how can the people of Redcar and Cleveland trust them to continue to run our council? It’s about time the discredited Labour administration was replaced with councillors who care more about their residents and our area than they do about petty politics.”

 Redcar’s Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate and local councillor Josh Mason commented:

“Not surprisingly, Ms Turley was not around today to face the music.

“My party and I are now acting to try and fix this mess before the council spirals further into chaos. A vote of no confidence has been put forward and will play out in the meeting of the full council next Thursday.

“The Liberal Democrats in Redcar are prepared to pick up the pieces of Labour’s mess and we will do everything we can to ensure that the best outcome is reached for local residents.”