A former leader of Blaenau Gwent Council did not leave the Labour party of his own accord it has emerged this week, but was instead thrown out of the group following a disciplinary action. Councillor Hedley McCarthy of Llanhilleth said he had left the Labour Party after 46 years and wouldn’t be standing at the forthcoming council election in May, due to his negative opinion of the leader of the party, Sir Keir Starmer MP, and the treatment of former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
However, this version of events was later called into question and a number of people on social media claimed he was under investigation by Labour due to his "activity" on social media. The Local Democracy Reporting Service has seen evidence that in August 2021, several complaints were made against Cllr McCarthy’s conduct on social media, with some claiming his activity could be perceived as anti-semitic.
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