Sandwell Council leader quits accusing colleagues of racism and corruption

A council leader has accused colleagues of racism, deceit and corruption as she resigned after being suspended over alleged anti-Semitic tweets.

Sandwell Council's Yvonne Davies was being investigated over tweets she posted in 2018 and was suspended by the Labour party on Monday, she said.

In her resignation speech at Tuesday's cabinet meeting, she claimed "old white men" in her party "wanted to go back".

She denied being racist saying she never had the chance to defend herself.

The Labour Party said it takes all complaints of anti-Semitism "extremely seriously". The council has been contacted for comment.

"For the record I am not anti-Semitic. I am horrified that I might even be considered so to be," she told colleagues during the online meeting.

She accused party members of leaking "these matters to the press" adding that she wished she "could have apologised for my historic mis-judgement". 

"Maybe it is because I am a woman, possibly as its because I'm a strong woman," she said.

Analysis: Rob Mayor, BBC Sunday Politics and BBC WM Black Country political reporter

Yvonne Davies went out with a bang, hurling accusations at political opponents in her own party while expressing horror at claims that she held anti-Semitic views.

She chose not to apologise for the tweets sent in 2018 but her claims of serious misconduct open a can of worms at an authority trying to clean up its image after years of damaging scandals.

Three leaders have tried and failed to resolve political infighting within Sandwell Labour since the death of another former leader Darren Cooper in 2016, but it's had no impact at the ballot box, with the party holding 68 of the 72 available seats.

Among the allegations she made were, cover-ups over alleged wrongdoing by unidentified colleagues, the misuse of public funds, the use of private emails to hide communications and lies being told to courts.

"There has been a culture of deceit and cover up at the council," she said.

She also claimed millions of pounds had been spent "with little regard to the public purse".

She added that the council faced two choices "a return to the white, male old guard who pay lip service to equality or Black Lives Matter, but will seek ultimately to preserve their own power base" or embracing a new future of "transparency, integrity and fighting against prejudice".

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken."

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