Birmingham Labour's group of new city councillors will not seek a role in any coalition to run the local authority, its new leader revealed tonight.
Councillor Nicky Brennan was selected as the new Birmingham Labour Group leader by a panel set up by the party's national executive. Her deputy leader is new councillor Shuranjeet Singh, who represents Soho and Jewellery Quarter.
In a dramatic first move, Coun Brennan has announced the party will not be seeking to enter into any coalition or power sharing arrangement.
That means two of the three biggest groups on the council - Reform and Labour - have ruled themselves out of being part of a coalition leadership. This leaves the Greens (19 seats), Conservatives (16), Liberal Democrats (12) and a raft of Independents (14) to decide if they wish to work together and form a coalition or other arrangement to lead the city.
The decision by Labour is seen as a moment of required humility by the party, which was on the receiving end of an anti-Labour vote across the city amid anger over local and national issues. The party still emerged with more than 20% of the total votes cast, and 17 seats, but that was a massive fall from the 65 seats it took at the last election in 2022.
Reform Birmingham leader Jex Parkin has also announced he will not be looking to work with any other party in coalition.
Cllr Nicky Brennan said: “The Labour Party in Birmingham has worked hard over recent years to turn Birmingham City Council around and I want to pay tribute to John Cotton's leadership during this time to get the council's finances back on track. But we understand that voters are frustrated by the pace of change.
“We respect the outcome of the election and the message voters have sent. Now is the time for us to reflect carefully on the result, listen to residents, and rebuild trust and support with our communities.
“For that reason, our group will not be entering into any coalition agreement or power-sharing arrangement with other parties.
“We will continue to serve residents constructively from the opposition benches, holding the new administration to account where necessary while supporting decisions that are in the best interests of the city and its residents.”
Coun Brennan is a popular choice among her peers and was a member of the previous ruling Labour cabinet, holding the brief first of social justice and inequalities and later housing and homelessness. She has also previously served the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster as Victim Commissioner.
She only narrowly won her seat in Bournville and Cotteridge, enduring recounts at the close of an emotional results night last Friday. In the end she won the ward's second seat by just three votes.
Shuranjeet Singh has been a prominent activist, mental health campaigner and entrepreneur in his home community of Handsworth, and was selected by his party to stand in Soho and Jewellery Quarter, where he won the most votes against opponents of all parties.
