Aberdeen's 9 suspended Labour Councillors can stand for re-election
Scottish Labour have decided it'll be up to local members to decide if the 'Aberdeen Nine' ,including the Council Leader and Lord Provost, become candidates for next year's local elections.
Last updated 11th Sep 2021
Aberdeen's nine suspended Labour Councillors could stand for re-election next year.
The Scottish Labour Executive Committee have decided it should be down to local members to decide who stands as their candidates next year.
They were handed a suspension after forming a coalition with the Conservatives in the last local elections in 2017.
But now they will be allowed to add their names to the hat for selection.
That could mean Council Leader Jenny Laing and Lord Provost Barney Crockett, among others, could manage to keep their place at Marischal College.
A Scottish Labour spokesman said : “The Scottish Executive Committee has considered the position of the Aberdeen Labour group and have determined that members in Aberdeen should have the right to decide who their Scottish Labour candidates are for the Council elections next year.
“Our members in Aberdeen will now decide if they are worthy to stand to represent our party.”
Commenting, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Donside Jackie Dunbar said:
“Once again Scottish Labour are open to the idea of handing the keys of power to the Tories on Aberdeen City Council and making the people of the city suffer another toxic coalition.
“Labour keeping the door wide open to another Tory coalition goes to show that we still cannot trust Labour not to jump into bed with the Tories and betray the trust of the people of Aberdeen City – they have done it before and there is nothing to suggest they would not do it again.
“Aberdeen City deserves better than a Labour party that will openly back a Tory party that is ignorant to the challenges facing folk in our city – as they plough on cutting Universal Credit support, hiking National Insurance and plunging the North East into chaos with their Brexit obsession."
North East Conservative MSP, and former Council Co-Leader alongside Laing, Douglas Lumsden said:
“For years now, Labour have treated their Aberdeen councillors horrendously, simply because they kept the SNP out of power.
"Even now, these councillors are still expected to be apologetic for working with a unionist party.
"It looks like Labour HQ will still have the final say on any future coalition agreements — and will they really agree to a deal with unionists?
"Over the last 10 years the city of Aberdeen has benefited greatly by having conservative councillors in administration.”