Former cabinet member and parliamentary candidate quits Labour

In late 2022, Cllr Beck was chosen as the party’s candidate for the battle to regain the Rother Valley parliamentary seat lost to the Conservatives in 2019.

He withdrew weeks later – citing “press coverage and concern” related to him being part of the 2015 cabinet which resigned en masse following the Jay and Casey reports into CSE failings at the council.

Cllr Beck was later told by Labour that he would not be selected to defend his Wales ward seat when the next local elections arrived in 2024.

This was followed by his resignation from council leader Cllr Chris Read’s cabinet in October, which he said would give more time to dedicate to working in his ward until the polls this May.

Cllr Beck was still a teenager when he won his seat at the 2011 elections – chairing South Yorkshire Young Labour at the time.

He has represented the party on RMBC ever since – but has now resigned following a hectic year-and-a-half.

He told the Advertiser: “I can confirm I will see out my current term as an Independent councillor having recently made the decision to leave the Labour Party.

“Representing Harthill, Kiveton Park and Wales has always been a privilege and my priority and that has not changed.”

Cllr Beck would give no further details, including about whether he planned to stand as an independent candidate in May.

The Labour Party did not comment.