New Derby mayor Alan Graves has hit back after fuming Labour councillors walked out in protest as he was about to officially enter his new role. In what was an unexpected move, the Reform Derby councillor won by a single vote against Labour councillor Balbir Sandhu to don the mayoral robes for the coming twelve months.
Councillor Graves said he was honoured to be chosen as mayor and would be “fully representative of the city and exert an air of fairness in the council chambers”. But Labour claimed there was an agreement in place last year that Councillor Sandhu would serve as mayor after deputising under councillor Robin Wood’s term as mayor. However, this proved not to be the case as councillor Graves won by 24 votes to 23. This then prompted a petulant walkout by the Labour group during the first part of Derby City Council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday May 24th.
Councillor Graves was unsurprised by the walkout, claiming: “I knew it was going to be a close vote but I’m pleased with the outcome. Labour’s walkout was staged – they knew what was happening.” He went on: “I’m not divisive. I’ve walked out of meetings when I felt there was unfairness in the council chamber. But they walked out because they didn’t win and I can’t help that.”
He was then asked if he thought Labour has a problem with him. “Yes they do. They have a problem with me. They don’t accept the fact that I’m an ex-Labour councillor and I’m beating them at their own game. Most people won’t be interested in what’s happening in the council chamber. What does interest people is what’s happening outside and what happens in their communities and that’s the important thing and we will portray that properly”.
The Derby council Labour leader said of the new appointment: “I don’t believe that Reform have had a breakthrough. This has been the Local Conservatives, as they are called, politicising the mayor-making. The 24 votes that Alan Graves got are not reflective of Derby’s public. We’re ashamed of Alan Graves being the Mayor of Derby and I think the vast majority of the public will be – he has a very divisive nature. He makes statements that divide people.”
The Homeland Party would like to congratulate councillor Graves on his appointment.
This all goes to show that becoming involved in local politics can lead to candidates from smaller nationalist parties enjoying political success, even though they will need support from the other parties around them, since the Labour opposition, who took the defeat with their usual lack of sportsmanship and with much name-calling and wailing, all the while claiming they have public support, will no doubt make life difficult for the new mayor.
