New Sunderland City Council leader begins first day at the job after official vote takes place

Sunderland’s new council leader has vowed to work “day in and day out” in the pursuit of making the city “the best it can be” after being formally installed in the role.

Councillor Michael Mordey, Hendon ward representative, was officially confirmed as leader of Sunderland City Council at an extraordinary local authority meeting on Monday evening.

The Labour councillor takes over from party colleague councillor Graeme Miller who leaves the top job after six years in office.

Cllr Mordey, who was first elected to the council in 2008, said at the meeting he was “honoured to take up this position as leader”.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: “I’m under no illusions that there is a whole host of work to be done in the months and years ahead.

“But I am excited to take up this position and I commit myself to working day in and day out in the pursuit of making Sunderland the best it can be.

“I am proud to have dedicated my whole working life, my whole working career to date to the service of Sunderland, I’m humbled tonight, and I look forward to getting to work.”

He also thanked former leader Cllr Miller for “all he did for the city”, along with councillors, family and friends for their support, and added he “will be the first openly LGBT leader of Sunderland City Council”.

However, councillor Paul Edgeworth, leader of the Wearside Liberal Democrats, criticised the move to appoint a new leader as “an absolute absurdity and an insult to democracy in Sunderland”.

It comes after national party leaders stepped in to place the city’s Labour Group under special measures, which resulted in Cllr Mordey being appointed as new group leader, and councillor Kelly Chequer as deputy leader.

Speaking at Monday’s meeting, Cllr Edgeworth said: “We shouldn’t be dictated to by Labour’s London and Newcastle HQs who have without question installed a yes man who will be bad for Sunderland.

“The powers that be in the leader of the opposition’s office, from Kim McGuinness’ inner circle and amongst the city’s MPs, have rigged the system to impose a yes man as leader of the council against the wishes of Labour councillors.

“I think he’s totally unfit for the role, he won’t be able to govern, it doesn’t take a genius to work out he has next to no support in his own group.”

Cllr Mordey responded by refuting claims he is a “yes man” and said he has only met Keir Starmer, Labour Party leader, once, although he praised and recited his recently announced “first steps for changes”.

These are delivering economic stability, cutting NHS waiting times, launching a Border Security Command, setting up Great British Energy, a crackdown on antisocial behaviour and recruiting 6,500 teachers.

Cllr Mordey added he sees himself as “a partner” to new North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and he and the Labour group will be working with her to create skilled jobs in Sunderland, tackle child poverty, prevent crime, deliver on a publicly run transport system and more.

Labour’s councillor Phil Tye, who proposed Cllr Mordey as leader, accused the Liberal Democrats of “playing games” and gave examples of how other national parties have made changes to council leaderships elsewhere in the country.

He said: “All political parties have different structures, different things in place and they do what they think is right for their political parties, so let’s all stop playing games about it.”

Cllr Mordey was ultimately elected by a vote of 50 in support and 17 against.

Councillor Antony Mullen, leader of the council’s Conservative Group, said he hoped the election of the new leader would “turn a corner in how the council is run”.

He added: “I hope that he can be more constructive with the opposition and listen to us when we have genuine concerns.”

Labour’s councillor Kelly Chequer, who was confirmed as the new deputy council leader, said she is “looking forward to the challenge” of her new role and that Cllr Mordey will be a “strong and uniting leader”.

She added: “Michael and I have known each other and worked together over many years and will use that strong partnership to lead this dynamic new cabinet to deliver for the residents of Sunderland.”

Cllr Mordey previously served for years as deputy council leader before being “removed” from his role in August 2020 due to “internal Labour Party politics”.

The following year Cllr Mordey lost his Hendon seat to the Liberal Democrats at the May 2021 local elections, before being re-elected to the council in the same ward in 2022.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Mordey said: “I am really proud to lead the city I love. A city I was born in. One I have spent my whole working life supporting. And a place I proudly call home.

“We are focused on ensuring that nobody is left behind.

“But equally, we have to be laser-focused on uplifting the whole city through positive and proactive regeneration and investment decisions.”