Former council leader resigns from Labour Party

The former leader of Tameside council has resigned from the Labour Party he ‘no longer recognises’.

Coun Ged Cooney has been serving a suspension following a decision by Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) last year in the wake of the Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp scandal.

He wasn’t a member of the scandalous group chat, which contained a number of offensive messages about constituents, but he was a vocal objector to the group at the time.

Coun Cooney was temporarily suspended by the Labour chiefs for ‘giving commentary to the media’ on the matter. 

According to Coun Cooney, the investigation into his case was due to go to the next stage at the beginning of this month, but he decided to call it a day and resign from the party. Having sat as an independent councillor since his suspension, the Droylsden West will continue to serve his ward as such on a permanent basis.

Coun Cooney said: “My disappointment is that my charge was that I reported it and it seemed more heinous than those who are making vile statements thinking it was funny. I won’t apologise for reporting it, because what I did was right and they didn’t want to take notice of it because of the General Election.

“Until the Labour Party here is allowed to make its decisions on who leads the party and who has what position, done locally, you’re always going to have a problem. We’re controlled by London, and you’ve seen how London is performing.

“That’s why you’ve got what you’ve got here, because London is making the decisions. They’re the same people who are advising Starmer. 

“This isn’t the party I joined. I went out supporting Harold Wilson on election days. I’ve worked for many MPs in Manchester over the years.

“My allegiance has always been to the Labour Party and I’ve always been open and honest about it. I don’t recognise it anymore and I certainly don’t recognise the one in Tameside.

“I don’t blame Tameside for that, I blame the national party for allowing it.”

Coun Cooney resigned as council leader in October 2024 following a damning report into the local authority’s failing children’s services. He has adamantly denied being involved in the group chat since the scandal came to light in February last year and has been a constant critic of those involved in it.

Coun Cooney went on to explain that politicians involved in the group and allowed to return to Labour was another gripe of his. The latest issues surrounding Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson and his associations with convicted sex offender Geoffrey Epstein was the last straw for Coun Cooney.

The Labour party did not respond to a request for comment.