Twenty Labour councillors have resigned from Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire citing claims of “bullying” by the national party over a fallout with the leadership over Gaza.
Pendle council leader Asjad Mahmood’s Labour-turned-independent group will remain in power in coalition with the Lib Dem’s after the move
11 borough councillors in Pendle will now sit as independents, with other councillors from Brierfield Town Council and Nelson Town Council forming independent groups amid claims that there were being bullied by Labour Central Office to stand down.
Mahmood told the local Lancashire Telegraph that felt senior party officials had attempted to impose their ideas on a local level, though few further details have been reported on the allegations.
He said: “As a Labour councillor, I have always felt the party’s policies were aligned with my own beliefs and those of the constituents who have honoured me with their votes.
