Edinburgh Council leader appointed despite being 5,000 miles away as Labour clings to power

Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors in the Scottish capital have allowed Labour to retain power after the dramatic resignation of council leader Cammy Day last week.

Despite holding just ten of the 63 councillors on the local authority, Labour will continue to control the city council. Mr Day, who joined the meeting remotely with his camera switched off, voted in favour of Labour, despite being suspended by the party last week.

The SNP had put forward plans to run the city in a coalition with the Scottish Greens, but failed to get enough votes to take control of the council.

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Jane Meagher, who replaced Mr Day as Labour group leader last week, has been appointed the new leader of the council. She was not present at the meeting - taking part remotely almost 5,000 miles away in Tanzania where she is taking an extended break.

Ms Meagher, who has given up her job as housing convener, was last week told to quit by leading charity, Shelter Scotland, over claims she lobbied SNP ministers to relax housing rights as the council grapples with 700 people being accommodated in illegal HMOs.

Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda abstained and did not support her party continuing to run the city, accusing her colleagues of having “'turned a blind eye to dishonesty”. She said her party had “failed in the last two-and-a-half years”.

Fellow Labour councillor Lezley Marion Cameron, who has become the city’s new housing and homelessness convener, raised concerns the ten Labour councillors who will run the city may not have the “capability and energy” to deal with the increased “workload”. But she voted in favour of her party remaining in power.

In an apparent dig at Mr Day, Ms Cameron pointed to “an inept leader” who “drives the proverbial bus off a cliff”. Ms Cameron also hit out at her new group leader Ms Meagher, who did not intend to speak until put under pressure to do so.

Speaking at the meeting remotely, Ms Meagher insisted that under her leadership, she would “listen, learn and drive positive change”.

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She told councillors she was “willing to compromise” and “willing to take the type of decisions that will help the people of Edinburgh”.

Ms Meagher pointed to “those who are more in need of our support”.

She claimed that since forming the administration after the 2022 election, Labour had “made good progress”, but admitted there was “clearly a huge amount still to do”.

SNP group leader Simita Kumar warned that Labour remaining in power “cannot be simply more of the same that we have seen over the last two-and-a-half years”.

She added: “I have severe concerns whether continuing this weak Labour administration will bring the change that Edinburgh so badly needs.

“We put forward a bold, progressive and positive proposal for change at the chambers, after all the recent upheaval – a fresh start. I’m disappointed that there was not sufficient support for that today.

“Instead, the Lib Dems and Tories have got together to keep this ailing and discredited Labour administration to keep limping on. This is not in the interests of this city.”