Sunderland Labour councillors are calling for a fellow councillor to ‘do the right thing and resign’, after he defected from the party he was elected to represent.
Washington South councillor Paul Donaghy released a public statement yesterday [16 Jan] announcing that he had left the Conservative Party to join Reform UK.
Cllr Donaghy was elected by residents of Washington South to represent the Ward as a Conservative councillor in the May 2021 local elections.
The move has attracted criticism from opposition councillors in Sunderland Labour Group, who believe it is unfair that he should be allowed to ‘go against the will of the people he serves.’
Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland Labour Group, said: “If Cllr Donaghy truly believes the party he willingly chose to represent is so out-of-touch with the people of Washington, then he should let the people of Washington have a say over which party they would like to represent them.
“To say he would like to stand up for Washington, while forcing local residents to be represented by a party which they have not democratically voted for, goes against everything that our democratic society stands for. It’s the kind of act you’d expect from an authoritarian dictator.”
In a statement by Reform UK’s official Facebook page, the party said Cllr Donaghy left the Tory party as he had “become tired of the current Conservative Party and the state it is in” and that he felt the party is “both nationally and locally out of touch with the people’s priories.”
Cllr Phil Tye, chairman of Sunderland Labour Group, also called for Cllr Donaghy to resign from his post immediately, stating that he “no longer has the mandate of the people he was elected by.”
He added: “It’s an insult to the people of Washington that Cllr Donaghy believes he has the right to go against the will of the people and tell them how the area should be represented.
“While I certainly don’t dispute his views that the Conservatives are completely out-of-touch with ordinary people, I find it hard to believe that his decision is born out of his love for Washington and isn’t politically motivated.
“If he truly cared for the people of Washington, he would allow them to go back to the ballot box and choose which party they would like to represent them, instead of forcing his own mandate onto the people.
“If he has any shred of decency, he will do the right thing and stand down and let the people have their say.”