EXCLUSIVE: Dundee city councillor quits SNP after two decades representing party.

Christina Roberts, an East End councillor, quit without explanation after more than 20 years. A veteran Dundee city councillor has left the SNP, The Courier can reveal.

Christina Roberts, an East End councillor, has resigned the party whip and will now sit as an independent after more than two decades with the SNP.

Dundee City Council leader Mark Flynn said: “On behalf of the SNP group, I would like to sincerely thank Christina for her efforts as an SNP councillor and wish her all the best in the future.

“Our focus as a group remains on delivering for the people of Dundee, improving opportunities and supporting people with the cost of living.”

Ms Roberts was first elected in 2007 and has held several high administrative positions, including convener of the community safety committee.

Resignation doesn’t alter political balance on Dundee council

When asked why she left the party, Ms Roberts, a former Deputy Lord Provost, declined to address it.

She served as deputy chairperson of the planning committee until she resigned from the party.

Her resignation makes no changes to the council’s political control. The SNP has 15 councillors, while opposition parties and independents make up the remaining 14. Ms Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of last year.

In an interview with The Courier at the time, she gave information about her diagnosis in the hopes of encouraging others to get checked. It arose when she discovered a tumour in her breast while on holiday in Turkey.

She explained: “It wasn’t that I was ill; I’m usually as fit as a butcher’s dog, but I was on holiday in Turkey and discovered a lump while applying after-sun cream.

“It completely took me by surprise. The lump was roughly the size of my thumb, and it was halfway through the holiday, so I had a long wait to return home and have it examined.”

She continued, “Even though it appeared to be a cyst, I needed to get a mammogram, which revealed that I had breast cancer. “It wasn’t even the lump I discovered; the cancer runs deeper.

“The hospital and staff are excellent, but this is an emotional voyage for which I did not purchase a ticket. “I am absolutely terrified.”

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