Ex-council leader’s claim of ‘racism and cover-up’
Bitter resignation follows explosive Labour group row
THE former leader of Sandwell Council claimed there was an attempt to cover up corruption by councillors which goes up to the highest levels of the Labour Party.
Councillor Yvonne Davies’ claims come after she made a series of serious allegations as she resigned from the political leadership of the authority last Wednesday, as reported in the Post.
She stepped down after being suspended by the Labour Party following a complaint she had retweeted anti-Semitic posts on social media.
The 64-year-old councillor said her suspension was engineered to prevent a dozen council investigations into wrongdoing coming to light. Saying she knew nothing of the allegation until approached by a journalist, she added: “The party has stepped in to remove me because it doesn’t want to sort it out.”
She added: “It goes right up the chain. I do not believe I could have been suspended without the agreement of Keir Starmer.”
However, Labour sources say party leader Sir Keir Starmer had no role in any stage of its disciplinary processes.
In a speech as she stepped down as leader of the council, Councillor Davies claimed there was evidence of “racism, misuse of public funds for political purposes, past cover-ups and lies being told to courts”.
Councillor Davies said that after becoming leader of the council she was told of allegations which led to a new round of standards investigations, allegations she said had been covered up in the past.
They included what she described as the misuse of public money to silence whistleblowers.
“People have been forced out of the authority with very large amounts of money from the public purse,” she claimed. “People have been taken into rooms and told ‘sign or you will leave with nothing. We will find a way to sack you’.
“It was an abuse of power over people’s lives and livelihoods and was utterly, utterly shameful.”
Speaking of the investigations which began after she became council leader in May 2018, she said they shouldn’t be ignored when Labour councillors choose her replacement.
She said: “It mustn’t go back to the old ways because the old ways damage politics and more importantly they damage the people of Sandwell.”
The Labour Party says it take all such complaints extremely seriously and fully investigates any it receives.