Lib Dem leader quits over “unjustifiable” by-election campaign before councillor’s funeral

Pete Girt said he had decided to quit the party and continue to represent Knottingley ward as an independent.

Coun Girt criticised the Lib Dems for starting a by-election campaign before the funeral Featherstone Labour councillor Graham Isherwood had taken place following his death in October last year.

Coun Girt was elected in 2022 and replaced Tom Gordon as group leader a year later.

Mr Gordon, now MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, resigned as a councillor to focus on his Westminster campaign ahead of the 2024 general election.

In a statement issued on Thursday (March 27), Coun Girt said: “It is important to remember that I did not join the Liberal Democrat party, I joined “Team Tom”, and very shortly after Tom left us.

“I was then forced to take up the mantle of party leader within Wakefield, a role I neither asked for nor wanted, but somebody had to do it.”

Coun Girt said he resigned as leader a week ago to allow the group’s two other members, Adele Hayes and Rachel Speak, time to decide “which one of them would step up”.

Labour councillors criticised the Lib Dems in the council chamber last October over the decision to campaign in advance of Coun Isherwood’s funeral.

Labour held onto the seat when Scott Haslam was elected in December.

Coun Girt said: “I have been very unhappy with the Liberal Democrats for some time, and first considered resigning at the start of the recent Featherstone by-election, when the decision was taken to start campaigning before the funeral of the late Coun Graham Isherwood, a man who I greatly admired and respected.

“This decision was made behind my back and against my expressed wishes.

“I personally refused to take part in any campaigning until after the funeral, which I attended to show my respect to the man.

“I apologised to the family at the time and I would like to now publicly apologise that I was unable to prevent it from happening.

“It was completely unjustifiable and goes against everything I believe in.”

Referring to his decision to resign from the party, Coun Girt said: “Last week it became obvious that I was leader in name only and that anything I said was just to be ignored and/or overruled.

“Once I had taken the decision to resign as leader, the voice in my head saying ‘leave the Lib Dem’s, which was previously a whisper, has now become a crescendo and can no longer be ignored.

“I have therefore made the decision to also resign from the party and the group within Wakefield Council with immediate effect.

“I will fulfil the rest of my term on the council as an independent councillor, and can now focus on the things that matter most, which are the people of Knottingley and Ferrybridge.”

Coun Girt notified council leader Denise Jeffery, chief executive Tony Reeves and chief legal officer Gillian Marshall of his decision on Thursday.

He added: “Decisions like this are never easy and there is never one single reason leading up to it.

“I have no intention of publicly going through every single reason, nor have I any intention of bad-mouthing my ward colleagues who are carrying out their duties to the best of their abilities.

“I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror, and that was becoming increasingly difficult as a member of the Liberal Democrat party.”