Greg Brackenridge, the former Labour Mayor of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, resigned from his role as a local councillor on 18 March 2026. The move comes eight months after an investigation confirmed he had lied about serving as a Royal Marine. The resignation ends a period of intense scrutiny for the Wednesfield South representative following the findings of a council committee in July 2025.
The decision follows a long review of claims Brackenridge made during a public speech in September 2021. It was discovered that he only finished 30 weeks of military training and never actually qualified as a commando or earned the famous green beret, despite suggesting he had served in the forces to boost his personal profile.
A council committee found that the councillor had broken official rules by being disrespectful to the public and using his position for political gain. He had also previously stepped down as the chairman of the West Midlands Fire Authority in October 2024 after the allegations first became public. Stephen Simkins, the leader of the local council, stated that the former mayor had let the city down through his actions.
The situation has also brought attention to his wife, Sureena Brackenridge, who is the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East. She had included the false claims about her husband being a former Royal Marine in her own election campaign materials during the 2024 campaign, leading to questions about the information provided to voters.
Local residents in the Wednesfield South area will now choose a new representative in a by-election on 7 May 2026. This vote will take place alongside other council elections being held across the city, where the former councillor’s son, Ciaran Brackenridge, is also standing for re-election to his seat.
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