A Labour councillor suspended by her party over claims of a “Muslim plot” against her leader has won re-election with a landslide majority.
Joyce McCarty, a former deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, won another term in office at Thursday’s local elections, polling 63% of the vote and finishing more than 1,200 votes ahead of the nearest competitor. It came despite her being suspended by her party, pending an investigation into alleged Islamophobic comments made after outgoing council leader Nick Forbes was ousted earlier this year.
In a text message seen by ChronicleLive, she wrote that she had heard that his deselection in the Arthur’s Hill ward was a “Muslim plot” organised by councillors in the West End to get more black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) candidates selected. Despite being suspended at the end of March, she remained on ballot papers as a Labour candidate because her nomination forms were lodged before the suspension.
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