Council changes hands as Scottish Labour quits leadership in shock announcement

Labour has quit the leadership of a Scottish council in a shock announcement.

The party won a majority on West Dunbartonshire Council at the local government elections in 2022, forming the administration.

But it has now walked away from power after two members quit the party and it lost its pick for provost.

The news came at the end of a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, when Labour leader Martin Rooney made an unscheduled statement.

He said: "It is clear that the Labour administration no longer has sufficient numbers of votes to be able to get a budget through. As a result, the Labour group of councillors will resign the leadership and the senior councillor positions with immediate effect. It will now be for the 12 opposition councils to form an administration."

A new council leader will be voted in in due course.

Rooney's announcement followed the election of new provost Karen Murray Conaghan, who is the first woman to hold the role.

The Dumbarton councillor is the leader of the authority's SNP group and was voted in after the resignation of Labour's Douglas McAllister.

Douglas McAllister is now MP for West Dunbartonshire

He announced he would step down due to his recent election as MP for West Dunbartonshire.

Councillors June McKay and Danny Lennie, who this week quit Labour to sit as independents, supported Murray Conaghan for provost, not Labour pick John Millar.

The shift means there are now 10 Labour councillors to seven SNP, four independents and one from the West Dunbartonshire Community Party.

Of the independents, one is former council leader Jonathan McColl, who recently left the SNP.

Rooney's announcement came as Murray Conaghan attempted to lead tributes to her predecessor McAllister.

After his statement, she said: "Before you take your leave, if I was going to ask if anyone else wishes to join me and pay tribute to our outgoing provost, but it doesn't look that way."

Commenting on her election, she said: "I am extremely proud to have been elected as the first female provost for West Dunbartonshire.

"It will be a great honour to represent our communities and council and I will work tirelessly for the people of West Dunbartonshire."