Darren Rodwell to Stand Down as Leader in Barking and Dagenham (Copy)

After a traumatic few weeks in which firstly he was accused of sexual assault and then forced to stand down as a candidate for the safe parliamentary seat in Barking, only to discover that after the selections, the allegations suddenly evaporated, Cllr Darren Rodwell has chosen to stand down as the leader of the ruling Labour Group in Barking and Dagenham.

No-one can doubt the stress that led to his decision. Dave Hill noted that he was “Born and raised in the borough, Rodwell joined Labour in the early 2000s in order to help fight the rise of the British National Party, which won 12 Barking & Dagenham council seats in the May 2006 elections. Four years later, Labour won all 51 council seats and the party has maintained that record under Rodwell’s leadership in 2014, 2018 and 2022.”

His reward for hard work, loyalty and success was to be stabbed in the back. Little wonder that he has chosen to move on.