Scarborough councillor resigns from Labour Party following suspension and investigation over climate activism

Cllr Theresa Norton has revealed that she resigned from the Labour Party after she says the party suspended her and started an investigation following her participation in Just Stop Oil climate protests on the M25 earlier this year.

Cllr Norton, who has been arrested several times for her climate activism and is involved with groups including Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, and Insulate Britain, said she chose to resign rather than “qualify” her actions and wait for Labour’s investigation to conclude.

The councillor has been arrested several times in recent years due to climate protests and has spent time in prison for contempt of court.

Most recently, she was arrested when taking part in a protest on the M25 in November.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Norton said: “They [Labour] asked me to qualify my actions.

"But rather than wait until January or February for them to make the decision, I chose to leave the party.

“As a socialist, I find that I needed something a bit more than what the Labour Party nationally are offering at the moment.

"I’m a true socialist and they’re not quite living up to my expectations of how a socialist government should perform.”

Elected as one of three Labour councillors for the Eastfield ward in Scarborough, the councillor says the party asked whether she considered her actions to be “right and proper behaviour for a Labour councillor”.

She added that she felt the party wanted her to “apologise or make excuses.”

Scarborough Council’s Labour group, which runs a coalition administration, has come under fire in the past due to Cllr Norton’s activism.

Earlier this year, the leader of the council’s Conservative group, Cllr Derek Bastiman, called for Cllr Norton to resign and for the local Labour group to expel her.

Commenting on her arrest in February, Cllr Bastiman said: “It’s one thing to be involved in eco-hooligan groups, but it’s another thing to be bringing the borough into disrepute.”

Despite her resignation from the Labour Party, Cllr Norton has stated that she will continue to support her colleagues in the council and in the local party.

“I take my role as a councillor very seriously, I said that to the Labour Party. Whatever I’ve done outside of my councillor role, I’ve given that role as much as I possibly can,” she added.

Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Steve Siddons, leader of Scarborough Borough Council said: “Cllr Norton continues to be a hard working councillor for the community she represents and whilst she is no longer a member of the Labour group, I feel sure she will continue to support her residents and the people of this borough with their best interests at heart.”

Cllr Norton has said she intends to continue in her role as a councillor as well as a climate activist until Scarborough Council ceases to exist next April.

According to her online councillor profile, she is now of “no political affiliation”.

The Labour Party was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.