Caerphilly council leader says he’s quitting as leader and resigning from the Labour Party

Martin Shipton

The leader of Caerphilly council has quit both his role as leader and the Labour Party, stating that his “moral standing” will not let him align with the party any longer.

Sean Morgan’s announcement is a huge blow to Labour, which is fighting a tough by-election locally following the tragic death of Senedd Member Hefin David last month.

Party insiders were dumbfounded, with one saying: “This is absolutely extraordinary. Why has he resigned with such a cryptic message and no further explanation?

“It’s appalling timing, right in the middle of the by-election campaign.”

‘Moral standing’

A statement issued by Caerphilly council reads: “The leader of Caerphilly council has announced that he is to stand down with immediate effect.

“Cllr Sean Morgan, who represents the Nelson ward, was elected as the leader of council following the May 2022 local government elections. ‘It’s been a pleasure to lead the organisation over the past 3 years and I am proud of the achievements and improvements that we have delivered together. However, I believe my moral standing does not allow me to be aligned with the Labour Party any longer, therefore I have taken the difficult decision to step down,’ said Cllr Morgan

“The chief executive of Caerphilly council, Richard Edmunds said: ‘I would like to thank Sean for his hard work, dedication and commitment to improving the lives of everyone across our communities over the past three years. I have greatly valued and enjoyed working with Sean during this time and I am thankful for all of the support that he has given me since I became chief executive. I wish him all the best for the future.’

“Cllr Morgan will remain as an Independent councillor serving the Nelson ward until the 2027 elections.

“A process to elect a new Leader of Council will take place in due course.”

Angered

Last week Labour members of the council were angered when their deputy leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard was barred from a shortlist of would-be candidates to represent the party in the by-election. Welsh Labour officials told him he could not stand because of historic tweets he had written in support of Jeremy Corbyn when he was leader of the Labour Party.

Welsh Labour was accused of control freakery.

Children’s publisher Richard Tunnicliffe was chosen as the candidate, although Cllr Pritchard and others believe he would have won if he had been allowed to stand.

As a result of spending cuts, Caerphilly council has embarked on a controversial process to shut some libraries and reduce the opening hours of others. The High Court has granted an injunction to protesters who are seeking to judicially review the library decision.

We have sought further details of the reasons behind Cllr Morgan’s resignation, but he has not responded to our message.

Caerphilly Labour MP Chris Evans said: “This has come totally out of the blue. I’m completely in the dark as to why he has resigned. He hadn’t expressed any unhappiness about the Labour Party to me and his comment doesn’t really explain what it’s about.”

A Labour source told Nation.Cymru: “Sean Morgan spoke with First Minister Eluned Morgan and Joe Lock, the general secretary of Welsh Labour, and expressed his anger at what happened to Jamie Pritchard. He was told to shut up and back the candidate.

“He wasn’t in any photos with the candidate on Saturday, nor was Jamie Pritchard.”

Another Labour source said: “We now have a situation where the acting leader of the council – Jamie Pritchard – is someone Welsh Labour has deemed is not suitable to stand to become a Member of the Senedd. In reality, the role of a council leader is more significant than that of a backbench MS.”

The by-election will be held on October 23, with strong challenges to Labour expected from both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.