Council deputy quits over Labour trans policy
A deputy council leader has left the Labour Party over concerns the government has "let the trans and non-binary people of this country down".
Councillor Tom Feeney, who will continue to represent the Rossmere ward on Hartlepool Borough Council as an independent, said he made the decision after "much soul-searching and reflection".
Having served as deputy leader of the council for 2024/25, he announced his resignation while accusing Labour of being "complicit" in a culture war which he described as "a cruel and dehumanising distraction".
Labour said Feeney's decision to resign was "disappointing".
A party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party's priority in Hartlepool is delivering for local people and that will continue under this administration."
Feeney, who was also the deputy leader of the Hartlepool Labour group, said in a social media post: "I can no longer be part of what the current Labour Government has become and the direction that it is headed.
"Before the general election last year, Labour were proud and vocal supporters of LGBTQ+ rights.
"Now, in government, they have let the trans and non-binary people of this country down."
He added when it came to the rights of LGBTQ+ people "there can be no compromises" on the rights of LGBTQ+ people and their rights "are human rights".
"This culture war — a cruel and dehumanising distraction from the real problems facing our country — was manufactured by the right wing parties to stoke division.
"And yet Labour are now not just complicit; they are active participants."
The council's new deputy leader and committee positions for 2025/26 will be confirmed at the local authority's annual meeting on 20 May, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
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