Highland councillor Maxine Smith has quit after 18 years due to online trolling and threats. She claims she was targeted because of her work as a politician and because she is a woman. Smith says she has been the victim of bullying, hate incidents, and false allegations that were headlined in the press. Despite this, she will continue her tour business and other interests, including college studies, and says she is not retiring from the world yet, just the council.

Three Labour district councillors, Chris Kane, Emma Stevenson, and Sandra Peake, have resigned from the party due to concerns over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. They are now listed as independents on the Bolsover District Council website. The main reasons for their resignation include changes to welfare, lack of support for WASPI women and victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal, and feelings that the Labour Party is not the same organization they joined 30 years ago.