Gillian Owen gives exit interview after dramatic resignation from party
Ousted Aberdeenshire Council leader Gillian Owen has spoken out after she dramatically quit the Tories.
The Ellon and District member spoke to the LDRS following her bombshell announcement at a council meeting this week.
Mrs Owen admitted she had been “wrangling” with her next steps since sweary WhatsApp messages were leaked last month.
But another incident involving her husband Steve allegedly telling a granny to “p**s off” at a nursery protest certainly didn’t help matters either.
“If I hadn’t been leader of the council, that would never have gone anywhere,” she said.
“I’m sad and disappointed, but I have to move on.”
Chaos around the leaked WhatsApp messages kicked off after an unnamed source revealed the messages to the press.
In them, Mrs Owen branded her fellow Conservative councillors “f*****g b******s”.
She later apologised for her actions, saying it was a “grave error of judgement”.
“I put a message in a WhatsApp group, and I think if you probably checked lots of people’s private groups, you’ll probably see that sort of language in there anyway.
“I don’t know why you use unnamed sources because if they can’t actually say it out loud, then why are they doing it, and why are they doing it anonymously?
“If you can’t be open and transparent as councillors, and let’s face it, it’s a Conservative group councillor that’s done this, then we’re nowhere.
“I am a politician and I have to speak the truth, because if I get found out that I’ve lied I will be crucified.”
While Mrs Owen doesn’t know who was behind the leaked messages, she admitted she has a “rough idea” who it could have been.
“If that’s what they want to do, well, they’ve done it,” she said.
