Labour councillors suspended after Aberdeen deal could be excluded from party

Suspended Labour councillors in Aberdeen could be excluded from the party after a decision to refer them to its constitutional committee

Action was first taken in May 2017 against the group, which formed a power-sharing agreement with Conservatives against the recommendations of the Scottish Executive Committee.

The executive has now recommended the nine suspended members are referred to the National Constitutional Committee to decide whether they should be excluded.

Cathy Peattie, chairwoman of the Scottish Executive, said: “The Scottish Executive Committee cannot endorse this deal and, following a year’s suspension, we are now left with no choice but to recommend the referral of the group to the body of the party that will consider their exclusion.

“On behalf of the Scottish Labour Party, I would like to put on record my thanks to the group for their work for the Labour Party over many years and express our regret that they chose to jeopardise their membership of the party by doing an unauthorised deal with another political group and independent councillors.”