Wirral Council leader quits after Labour 'extremists' claims

Phil Davies will not contest his Birkenhead and Tranmere seat in May 2019

A Labour council leader who criticised "hard-line extremists" who wanted to "undermine" the party will step down.

Phil Davies has served on Wirral Council for 27 years and has been leader for the last seven years.

He said he was leaving politics to spend time with his family and would not stand in Wirral Council's Birkenhead and Tranmere ward again.

In August, Mr Davies called for Labour to investigate claims of bullying in the local party.

The 59-year-old faced calls to resign in November 2017 over the council's handling of a child grooming case and has spoken of divisions within Wirral Labour.

Following Birkenhead MP Frank Field's resignation of the Labour party whip over "bullying and intimidation" at a local level and the party's failure to address allegations of anti-Semitism, Mr Davies said the local party had been taken over by "a small group of hard-line extremists that are pursuing a narrow ideological agenda".

He added that they used tactics, including bullying, "to further that agenda".

Claire Hamilton, BBC Radio Merseyside political reporter

Some will be surprised at today's announcement - an ambitious and well-presented politician, Phil Davies hadn't given any indication that he was losing enthusiasm for the job.

Grandchildren, however, can be a very strong draw.

There's also the background against which his decision is happening - turbulent times in Wirral Labour, with a reinvigorated membership who are keen to take the party further to the left.

Mr Davies could have found himself on a shortlist for reselection in his Birkenhead and Tranmere ward, rather than automatically getting the nomination.

For someone with nearly 30 years in local politics, this would have been a distinctly unappealing prospect.

Ian Lewis, leader of Wirral's Conservative opposition, said Mr Davies had been a "courteous" opponent, adding: "The last couple of years have been very difficult for the moderate, sensible members of the Labour group."

In a statement, Mr Davies said he was "proud" of his achievements, which included Wirral becoming one of the first councils to pay the Living Wage to all employees.

He said he would now spend more time with his three grandchildren and visit his youngest daughter in Canada.