Councillor: I'll make Sandwell great again

Sandwell councillor Caroline White had her party membership terminated following allegations she supported her friend, independent candidate Dave Hosell, during the local elections.

She says party bosses accused her of holding a ladder so her friend would not fall as he placed posters on lampposts.

The Cradley Heath and Old Hill councillor has now delivered a broadside to her party, vowing to "fight corruption" from the outside and make the council "great again".

She insists she received no official complaint – and was not given any chance to explain – before it was revealed she had been thrown out of the party.

Ms White said she has now resigned. The Sandwell Council website lists her as 'independent'.

She said: “Having been a Labour supporter and campaigner my whole life I was privileged to be elected as a councillor three years ago and have worked hard with my fellow councillors to make Sandwell a better place for residents to live in and feel safe, however there have been some councillors who have only had their own interests at heart and I fear the corruption is growing.

“The Labour Party of today is not the same party I grew up believing in and feel I can no longer be true to myself or my constituents by staying.

“It has been a hard decision to make but I have resigned from the Labour Party with the hope that as an ‘outsider’ I can fight the corruption and make Sandwell and its council great again and, with help and support, I believe we can make it happen.”

The Labour Party said it could not comment on individual cases.

Labour rules state any member who supports or campaigns for a political opponent is deemed to have ‘auto-excluded’ themselves from the party.

Mr Hossel was the Labour councillor for Newton before being deselected ahead of the elections. The seat was won by Labour's Richard McVittie.