The Labour Party has lost its way and no longer listens to its grassroots members, the former leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has claimed.

Cllr Sean Morgan, who today stepped down as leader and tore up his party membership, accused Labour of failing to deliver on its general election promises and of being “complicit in genocide” in the Middle East.

Closer to home, the Nelson councillor accused party officials of a “fix” in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Senedd by-election for Caerphilly, where council deputy leader Jamie Pritchard was overlooked for the nomination in favour of Richard Tunnicliffe.

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Cllr Morgan, who joined the Labour Party aged 15, said he would now throw his support behind the Plaid Cymru candidate, Lindsay Whittle, to succeed the late Hefin David as Caerphilly’s MS.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said the party was “focused on delivering for the people of Caerphilly” and had “robust due diligence processes” for selecting candidates.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service shortly after announcing he had stepped down as leader, a visibly emotional Cllr Morgan explained his reasons.

He described how Welsh Labour’s candidate selection for the by-election culminated in a showdown earlier this week with himself, First Minister Eluned Morgan, and former Caerphilly MP Sir Wayne David.

He alleged that the evening before Saturday’s party hustings, Welsh Labour officials told Cllr Pritchard he had failed the........

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