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“They’ll sell Sandwell people down the river to protect their friends” – chaos as another former Sandwell cabinet member quits Labour

Second senior councillor quits in as many days as Joanne Hadley resigns in disgust at alleged corruption, cover-up and abuse

Cllr Joanne Hadley

A second senior councillor in just two days has announced her resignation from the Labour party in disgust over its abuse of women and an alleged cover-up of corruption and malfeasance.

“We worked so hard to clean up politics in the borough”

Cllr Joanne Hadley, former cabinet member and housing director on Sandwell council, issued a withering statement announcing her intention to stand as an independent, just a day after former council leader Yvonne Davies made a similar announcement:

I have today resigned from the Labour Party as I’m disgusted by the ongoing attempts to cover up political corruption in the Sandwell Labour Group as well its treatment of strong local women. The Party has elbowed aside excellent female standing councillors and faceless Party officials from London have imposed candidates, including one who has committed gross misconduct – which is a disgrace. I’m not prepared to stay in a party that has no place for strong local women.

I was a member of the Sandwell Cabinet for 18 months under Yvonne Davies and we worked so hard to clean up politics in the borough and to uncover the corruption and cronyism that had been how Labour had run Sandwell for many years. Suspending and deselecting councillors is part of a concerted attempt by the Party to bury this and to prevent councillors being held to account for wrongdoing. They’ll sell the people of Sandwell down the river just to protect their own friends.

I’ve lived in Sandwell for all my life. I’ve run a business here. I’m part of the community, it runs through my blood.

We desperately need an opposition in Sandwell Council. I’ve tried to fight it from the inside, but it’s a one-party state and the corrupt Party machine just protects its own and spits you out.

I will now represent Great Bridge ward as an independent councillor and the people of Great Bridge can be assured that I will continue to fight for local interests with my usual passion.

What Sandwell Council needs is a strong Independent Party to hold the Labour Group to account. I am committing myself to working to establish that Sandwell Independent Party.

We also need the voters in Sandwell to take a stand against Labour corruption in the Council and to signal this at the ballot box on May 6th. People have a choice and an opportunity to make a difference. They need to recognise that the Labour Party in Sandwell will always put the Labour Party first rather than the people of the Sandwell. Sandwell need councillors that put people and services first.

Sandwell is the heartland of the Labour right, which lost control of the borough during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party, amid a slew of allegations of corruption as well as sexual harassment and sleaze. Yvonne Davies, during a speech resigning her leadership of the council last year, said that she had been “hounded out” because she was determined to uncover and clear out corruption, abuse, misogyny and even perjury.

Among a litany of scandals and alleged scandals, the previous right-wing council leadership was humiliated in court when a recording proved that its criminal allegations against a troublesome local blogger had been entirely false and the judge threw out the case summarily.

The right, once again protected by Labour’s new regime, has moved ruthlessly to re-establish its control.

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27 comments

  1. Are we still at the creaking stage, or is this bits starting to fall off?

    Is it time to evacuate the building?

    1. What “recording ” ? The link mentioning a recording doesn’t go to any recording.

      This story needs to be shouted from the rooftops as it seems Labour HQ is covering up corruption while throwing local LP members who tried to root it out to the wolves.

      In a major Labour Council on the eve of the local elections, this couldn’t be more devastating for Keith.

      1. If there is corruption why hasn’t it been reported to the police?

  2. Pointing up yet again the fact that the ONLY politicians in the Labour Party who are actively anti-corruption are those from its furthest Left wing-those in the antisocialist/pro-Starmer sectors of the party clearly see graft as an entitlement- and this belief is related to their deeply-held conviction- the ONLY deeply-held conviction any of them possess- that they and they alone are Labour- that the party exists solely for themselves and their own self-interest and their chances of gaining highly-paid no-show directorship “jobs” after they leave politics or wipe the party off the political map, whichever comes first.

  3. Red Tories in race to the bottom shocker
    Twas centrists who along with their cheap and nasty Tory party idols doubled the prison population
    It is no coincidence so many of them made their money out of the legal system
    Now let’s talk buy to let, rents and property prices
    Red Tories in ‘snouts in the trough ‘ shocker

  4. Cllr Joanne Hadley. Yet another courageous member who feels compelled to speak out against Keir Starmer the effect he is having on Labour politics. Good luck to her in the local election.

  5. West Midlands mayoral elections poll: Redfield & Wilton Strategies’ West Midlands Mayoral Election voting intention poll finds incumbent Conservative candidate Andy Street leading over Labour and Co-Operative candidate Liam Byrne by 9%. Altogether, our voting intention results are as follows:

    Andy Street (Conservative) 46%

    Liam Byrne (Labour and Co-Operative) 37%

    Jenny Wilkinson (Liberal Democrats) 6%

    Steve Caudwell (Green) 5%

    Pete Durnell (Reform UK) 4%

    Other 3%

    Bye bye Byrne.

    1. I’m surprised Byrne has such a high proportion, The West Midlands are done with Neolabour’s Tory Charlatans! The likes of Ian Austin and Tom Watson. Mind you it seems the whole of The UK are, I seriously think People are more angry at the No Opposition Whatsoever Party than the Conservative Tories!

      1. Yup. They blamed Vince Cable for austerity and will blame Keir Rodney for covid and the pandemic MISmanagement.

        I’m surprised too by the 37% support that Byrne is achieving. Good on him, he might loose with a higher percentage of the vote than the forensic (my arse) leader of Labour obtained in his leadership election.

        Starmer should think-on. Andy Street the Conservative Mayor and candidate, was endorsed by Lord Jones of Birmingham,Gordon Brown’s Minister of State for Trade and Investment. That’s the world Starmer is creating, one in which Labour becomes a Pepsi to The Coca-Cola Copany’s much more popular Conservative sugary drink.

      2. qwertboi – “I’m surprised too by the 37% support that Byrne is achieving. Good on him, he might loose with a higher percentage of the vote than the forensic (my arse) leader of Labour obtained in his leadership election”

        That would be brilliant. If Byrne tops Starmer’s leadership vote he will win the election for Mayor in the first round. Have you forgotten (perhaps you never knew) that Keir Starmer won the Labour leadership with an overall majority in the first round.

      3. “That would be brilliant. If Byrne tops Starmer’s leadership vote he will win the election for Mayor….”

        Well IF the poll above results in every respondent voting as they indicate, then he obviously would NOT win, wouldn’t even be close I suspect the Starmer Effect will apply: slightly more than 60% of those who should have voted for Starmer (considering the competition) didn’t!

        7 May, not long to go…..

      4. qwertboi – It was you that gave the example of Starmer’s election result who like Corbyn won in the first round with an overall majority. The poll above doesn’t take into account the preference votes so none of us can predict the outcome from the above.

      5. “Starmer’s election result who like Corbyn won in the first round with an overall majority..”

        The difference is the number of members and supporters that chose NOT to vote at all; was 48% in 2019for Starmer, c 28-30% in both Corbyn elections.

        Point is – it’s the Conservatives we are competing with and they’re significantly ahead in West Mids. I’m not looking forward to 7 May – even if it confirms that billionaire-friendly Starmerism is bad for Labour’s electability.

      6. There is one of several Major Differences between Voting UK Labour Party in 2019, 2021, 2024 and any other future Elections.
        Apart from Labour 2019 and Labour 2021 are Two Polar Opposite Parties, in 2019 We had a CHOICE Democratic Socialist UK Labour Party FOR THE PEOPLE
        vs
        Thatcherite Neoliberal Conservative Party Tories FOR THEMSELVES & FOR THE ELITES/ESTABLISHMENT/MACHINE!

        ANYTHING POST 2019:
        ABSOLUTELY 0 CHOICE! NADA!
        Thatcherite Neoliberal Neolabour Party Tories FOR THEMSELVES & FOR THE ELITES/ESTABLISHMENT/MACHINE!
        VS
        Thatcherite Neoliberal Conservative Party Tories FOR THEMSELVES & FOR THE ELITES/ESTABLISHMENT/MACHINE!

        The PEOPLE can choose to lie down and get trampled by these Warmongering/Greedmongering excuses of Human Beings of The People can say NO!
        The Painless Overnight Option is gone, leave it in 2019, now we need to come up with a plan, I can only come up with vote the bastards out every ~180 of them start again with the sitting 10/15 Democratic Socialist MPs, bring back Expelled/Suspended MPs plus the handful Democratic Socialist MPs we voted into seats, that’s if the Starmerstruppen allow anyone other than his Far Right Neoliberal Party Candidates to stand, we might get LauraP, LauraS and several new Democratic Socialists in.
        Then with a Small Party with BIG voices and BIG Democratic Socialist fire in their Bellies, BIG Unions, BIG Membership, reduced HQ, ALL Decontaminated of ALL Thatcherite Neoliberal Neolabour Party Tories. We will have a True Hardieist Labour Party and Candidates Inspired by and on fire with Corbynism for every seat in Hoc!
        It’s our choice now, suffer with a Minority Party, but LOUD and PROUD, for one term after 2024 and then undoubtedly without any internal Sabotage, MSM Leaks, Smearing, Coups, we surely will stand the best chance of the following taking GE. Without Thatcher’s Neolabour Tories destroying everything Peterloo, Suffragettes, Orgreave, Cable Street stands for we will be a Power to be reckoned with!
        Stay Strong!
        Solidarity!

      1. goldbach – Not at all, I would contend that the LibDem & Green votes would be far more likely to go to Labour than to the Tories. I’m a Labour member and I’m hoping that Labour will win.

      2. All dependent on which “Labour” that is, Thatcher’s Neolabour Neolabour Party Tories or The Traditional Actual Real Democratic Socialist UK Labour Party, Two entirely Opposing Factions!
        Your worshipping of The Neoliberal Occupied Brand/Label/Logo “Labour” will in the end not be to your benefit. We will only end up with another 41++++ Years of Thatcher’s Neoliberal Tory Hell!
        Luckily The SteveH’s appear to be far and few apart and a win in the direction of Thatcher’s Neolabour Tories can only be done with Elites/Establishment/Machine intervention as was the case, as far as I am concerned, with GE2019!

    1. WOW. Thanks Carlene. I love the idea of “undercover” members (hehe) and Evans’ hostile enironment in Labour producing ‘bookclub’ gatherings. The “Starmer snitches” vs the underground book clubs is making Labour politics interesting (and purposeful) again.

      1. Humans do some of their most genius work under oppression and underground! Watch this space!
        I think we need an underground Traditional Printing Press with several backup sites! Let’s Get That Red, Black and Yellow ink ordered! Uhmmm!
        That smell of Press Ink and Peaceful Revolution is wafting by!
        For Now, The Battle for a Party of, for and by The People!
        Every Protest The ‘PrintShop’ is there handing out free related Posters and Banners!
        https://inspiringcity.com/2018/05/11/revolutionary-posters-from-the-may-1968-demonstrations-in-france-go-on-display-at-the-lazinc-gallery/
        Ssshhh, Ssshhh, Ssshhh,
        It’s Oh so Quiet,
        It’s Oh so Still…………

  6. In Labour list its reported Temporary Embarrassment was ordered by BoD to pull out of a meeting celebrating Ramadan
    You have to go to Jewish News to find out why
    Apparently someone was attending who did not meet with their approval and this individuals crime was
    Encouraging folk to boycott the sale of Israeli dates
    Methinks we should prune our links with the Lobby

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