Secret plot to oust ‘weak’ city leader by comrades
Labour council chief could face vote of no confidence within days
LABOUR comrades of Birmingham city council leader Ian Ward are plotting to bring him down in secret talks, the Post has learnt.
Cllr Ward faces a vote of no con
fidence as early as next week, sources have revealed, as many backbenchers have been unhappy with his performance in a year beset by industrial disputes.
Several councillors broke their silence to claim as many as 31 Labour members were already committed to backing the no confidence calls.
DISGRUNTLED councillors are holding secret talks to plot the downfall of the city council’s Labour leader Ian Ward, reliable local party sources have told have the Birmingham Post.
A group of more than 30 members of the party’s Labour group could back plans to pursue a vote of no confidence in Councillor Ward’s leadership “within days”.
Commanding an annual budget of more than £3 billion, the Labour-run council is the single biggest local authority in Europe and Cllr Ward its political leader.
The plot instigators are remaining tight-lipped publicly, amid concerns that revealing their hand too soon could ‘spook’ some who are still considering their position.
There are also concerns over the timing of the potential move, coming as it does just as the Labour Party nationally prepares to take on Boris Johnson over a no-deal Brexit and in the face of a potential General Election.
But several councillors broke their silence privately to claim as many as 31 Labour members were already committed to backing the no confidence calls – with more expected to join them.
One told the Post: “The timing would never be perfect but with the prospect of a General Election looming, it is too much to stomach to have a weak Labour leader in Birmingham who has not got the support of the whole group at such a crucial time.”
It is not the first time this year that backbenchers have stood up to criticise Cllr Ward, who represents Shard End and has been a member of the council since 1995.
In February, 23 councillors signed a strongly worded letter which condemned the way the leader, deputy Brigid Jones and the Cabinet handled the controversial bin strike and home care workers’ dispute, which brought the council into conflict with three unions.
That letter, led by veteran former leader Sir Albert Bore, ruffled feathers but did not deliver a decisive blow and at the Labour group’s annual meeting in May, Cllr Ward was re-elected as leader. One senior backbencher said: “The issues of concern never went away. It was inevitable that a challenge would come eventually.”
The reasons cited behind the loss of confidence in Cllr Ward are mostly linked to his personal handling of a range of issues, including the council’s threats of legal action against trades unions and his personal dealings with backbencher concerns.
One said: “The leadership has ignored complaints and not acted on concerns. This is not a coup but a call for decent leadership and structure that serves the city.”
The selection of the new Lord Mayor of Birmingham has also come under fire, amid suggestions that Cllr Ward championed the choice of Mohammed Azim despite recognising he might not be the right fit for a public-facing role involving significant chairing and public speaking expertise.
One councillor added: “This is not about the left or right of the party trying to make a point or seize control – this is about people having had enough of Cllr Ward as leader and not seeing him as the best person for the next difficult, challenging period facing our city.”
According to sources, 31 councillors have committed to backing a call for a no confidence vote – eight more than the number needed to force a vote.
There are a total of 67 Labour councillors out of the total of 101 serving the city.
To win a vote of no confidence would require the backing of at least half of them, so at least 34 would have to be prepared to reject his leadership.
None of those the Post have spoken to was willing to publicly recommend who should be leader if Cllr Ward chose to step aside or was forced out.
The Post contacted Cllr Ward. A member of his team said he was unlikely to comment on “no more than speculation”.
The Birmingham Labour Group next meets on Monday, when any planned vote would be expected to take place. The next meeting of Birmingham full council is next Tuesday.
Following the publication of the open letter to Cllr Ward in February this year, Cllr Bore (Ladywood) said: “I have been a councillor through some difficult periods but the way in which matters are being conducted now is worse than I have known in the 38 years I have been in this council.
“We have tried very hard to get our views listened to, at Labour group meetings and in private. We are exceptionally frustrated and concerned.”
It is too much to stomach to have a weak Labour leader who has not got the support of the whole group at such a crucial time