Labour councillor quits group over accusations

A Labour politician has quit as one of the party's local councillors and alleges she has "sustained bullying and marginalisation within the group".

Daisy Blakemore-Creedon joined Labour aged 14 and was 18 when she was elected to Peterborough City Council in the May 2024 elections.

In a message shared on X on Monday, she said she was quitting the council's Labour group and would stand as an independent.

Blakemore-Creedon said accusations that she and her family were "targeting fellow Asian Labour councillors" were "completely unfounded and deeply hurtful".

"I feel as though I have sustained bullying and marginalisation within the group after raising serious concerns — concerns which, in my view, were not treated with the seriousness they deserved," she said.

"Following this, I was deeply disturbed to find myself accused of racism, with suggestions that I and my family were 'targeting fellow Asian Labour councillors'."

Blakemore-Creedon said she had raised a formal complaint "regarding these matters" which had been delayed twice.

During her campaign in 2024, she was preparing to sit her A-levels.

She won with 940 votes, beating Conservative candidate Andy Coles by almost 300 votes.

In her X post, the now 19-year-old also claimed: "I reported an antisemitic incident involving a prominent Labour Party supporter in Peterborough, which, to date, remains unaddressed."

She said the experiences "have left me with no confidence that I can continue to serve residents as a member of the Labour group given the hostile environment I have faced simply for speaking out."

"I remain fully committed to serving the people of my ward [as an independent]," she continued.

"However, if residents feel that I can no longer effectively represent them in this capacity, I will respect that view."

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, leader of the council and of the Labour group, Dennis Jones, said he was "disappointed".

"Nevertheless, the Peterborough City Council Labour Group will continue to work hard to deliver for local residents as we always have," he said.

A Labour Party spokesperson also said: "All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with the Labour Party's rules and procedures."

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