New council leader could be forced out under Newcastle…

New council leader could be forced out under Newcastle Labour members' bid to ban lobbyists

Newcastle’s warring Labour Party has been engulfed by yet another controversy which could see the city’s new council leader forced out.

Ahead of the party’s national conference in Liverpool, it has emerged that some Labour members in the city have launched a motion that, if approved, would effectively disqualify Nick Kemp from sitting as a councillor. A proposal put forward by the Newcastle Central Constituency Labour Party (CLP) would prevent anyone who works as a lobbyist from being selected as a Labour candidate for public office.

Coun Kemp, who has only been in charge at the city council since the end of May, runs a public relations consultancy firm, NKA Public Affairs. The Byker councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he did not view the motion as a “personal attack” and that his business dealings were “fully transparent”, while the city's Lib Dem opposition accused Labour of infighting that has become a "complete distraction for our city".

The latest bombshell comes after what has been a year of huge drama and upheaval in Newcastle’s Labour establishment. Former council leader Nick Forbes was ousted from his seat in Arthur’s Hill earlier in the year, in what he alleged was an ambush by left-wing party members, and subsequently quit city politics.

Mr Forbes’ former deputy, Joyce McCarty, has since been suspended by Labour amid an Islamophobia scandal. And just a couple of weeks ago, veteran Newcastle East MP Nick Brown was also issued with a suspension pending an investigation into a complaint made against him.

Ahead of the party conference starting on Sunday, one Newcastle councillor who is a known opponent of Coun Kemp came out in favour of the lobbying motion and said it was “time to clean up local government”. Heaton councillor John-Paul Stephenson posted on Twitter: “This proposal from Newcastle Central Labour needs to get support at Labour Party Conference. Local decisions for communities not fat cat businesses. Time to clean up local government.”

The CLP motion, also backed by members in the Cities of London and Westminster, would impose a ban on selecting any candidate for election who works, or has worked in the previous four years, as a lobbyist “undertaking activities for profit and on behalf of a for profit third party or client in an attempt to influence, or advise those who wish to influence” national or local government.

Coun Kemp, whose Byker seat is within the Newcastle East constituency, said: “I accept the role of a democratic party and of the national party conference to have debate. I do not take any amendment being brought to national party conference as a personal attack on me.

“I accept entirely the view of many that the actions of a number of former MPs and their behaviour around lobbying have tarnished the industry. I do run a public affairs business providing support and advice to businesses about how they engage with government, locally and nationally, and understand political environments. My business is fully transparent and fully declared.”

Coun Nick Cott, leader of Newcastle’s Liberal Democrat opposition, called the situation a “complete distraction for our city”.

He added: “It is left to us to stand up for the rights of the working people in this city whilst Labour sit in their conference halls playing their pathetic little political games. There are so many things that need fixing in our city with the cost of living and energy crisis, rising poverty, and services that need improving, and the residents have lost confidence in their council to get things right. Much like Nero who fiddled as Rome burned, history will record that Newcastle Labour were playing musical chairs when the city needed them most.”

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