My resignation statement April 2025:

Why I’m leaving Labour

The Labour Party under Keir Starmer is no longer the party of ordinary people. It serves big business and billionaire donors; demonises the poor; slashes support for the disabled; and claims the answer to the housing crisis is to allow profit-driven developers to destroy our environment.

As an elected Labour representative I thought I owed it to the Labour members who selected me for Monument and the residents who voted for me as the Labour candidate to stay in the party. This did not mean, however that I would ignore the party’s mistakes and failures – either nationally or locally.

So I have done what I thought was right, not what I was told to do by the Labour Group from voting to call on the Government to reverse the cuts to Winter Fuel Allowance to putting forward an amendment to the budget to keep the City Library open on Saturday afternoons.

I also refused to support Labour Group in the vote of no confidence at December’s Council Meeting due to my doubts about Group’s ability to govern in the interests of residents. These doubts stem from Group’s unwillingness to investigate the concerns that I raised with them about whether the difference between the roles and responsibilities of elected members and officers was understood and respected at Newcastle City Council. This is an issue that has an impact on everything the council does.

I was suspended by Labour Group for three months in October and suspended by the Labour Party in December. I was told at the beginning of April that “The NEC Panel found that you had engaged in conduct that was prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party and agreed to refer your case to a hearing of the National Constitutional Committee.” I have asked how long that is likely to take but have had no response.

I suspect that the process is being delayed so that the Labour Party can continue to claim it holds 50% of Newcastle City Council seats.

It makes no sense for me to continue to be a Labour councillor when I have not been able to take part in Labour Group discussions or decision-making for almost 6 months and there is no realistic probability that I will be able to do so in the future.

So I have resigned from The Labour Party today and I will sit as an independent for the rest of my term as a councillor.

Jane Byrne

April 27, 2025