Ewan Mackey: The Smiling Assassin of the Council Chamber
After ten years in Birmingham politics, the councillor with the twinkle in his eye is stepping away on his own terms.
Politics is not a profession known for tidy endings.
Most careers conclude with defeat, exhaustion, or a scandal that arrives like a brick through the window. Very few people manage to step away simply because they have decided the moment feels right.
As the May elections approach, Cllr Ewan Mackey appears to be doing exactly that.
After more than a decade representing residents at Birmingham City Council, and serving the Royal Town through Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Mackey is preparing to step down from council life.
Not pushed.
Not beaten.
Simply finished.
There is something rather satisfying about leaving the stage while the applause is still warm.
The By-Election That Changed Everything
Mackey’s route into politics began in the slightly chaotic way these things often do.
Back in 2014 he was preparing to stand in Stockland Green, already active locally and beginning to develop the campaigning instincts that later became his trademark.
The ward at the time was represented by Cllr Penny Holbrook, a formidable Labour figure.
I knew Penny well. In fact, I signed her up to the Labour Party many years earlier. She was energetic, sharp, and absolutely determined. Later she came within a single vote of becoming leader of the Labour group, and therefore leader of Birmingham City Council itself.
It was that close.
Penny sadly passed away in 2021, and many across the political divide still remember her drive and presence.
Then the political board shifted.
Cllr Phil Parkin stepped down from Trinity Ward, triggering a by-election. Mackey switched wards, sought selection, and secured the backing of local Conservative members.
The voters followed.
He won comfortably, and suddenly found himself a councillor in one of the largest authorities in Europe.
A Fast Rise
Some councillors take years to make their mark.
Mackey needed less time than that.
By his second year he had joined the Conservative shadow cabinet. Over time he became one of the key figures in the opposition benches, eventually serving seven years as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group at Birmingham City Council.
It is a role that requires stamina, patience, and occasionally the ability to land a political punch without appearing to throw it.
Which brings us neatly to Mackey’s particular talent.
Pleasant. Deadly.
Of all the councillors I have encountered over the years, Mackey is potentially one of the most strategically amusing.
His style is deceptively gentle.
There is usually a small smile.
An open posture.
And very often a twinkle in the eye.
What follows next tends to be devastating.
Think of a stand-up comedian who has wandered accidentally into municipal finance and discovered he quite enjoys dismantling arguments with humour.
His victims, one suspects, enjoy it rather less.
I would not personally have wanted to be one of them.
The Question
One moment in the council chamber captures the Mackey method perfectly.
During an Extraordinary General Meeting in October, councillors were discussing the authority’s extraordinary financial predicament and the implications under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
The summary delivered to the chamber was hardly reassuring.
The council had:
Made a decision incurring unlawful expenditure.
Taken a course of action that was unlawful.
Been about to enter an item of account that was unlawful.
Been pursuing a course of action or inaction that was unlawful.
Been accruing additional unlawful expenditure through growing liabilities.
At this point Mackey rose slowly from his seat.
There was the familiar half-smile.
The relaxed stance.
That unmistakable twinkle.
Across the chamber sat Cllr Sharon Thompson.
Mackey addressed her politely.
“In your role as Deputy Leader, which unlawful act do you regret the most?”
For a moment there was silence.
Then laughter rippled around the chamber.
It was vintage Mackey.
Polite.
Precise.
And lethal.
The Work That Matters
Yet the moments Mackey values most are not the exchanges across the council chamber.
They are the quieter victories.
One example was securing a pathway between Weeford Road and Slade Road in Roughley Ward. Before it existed, residents heading towards Chase Farm often had little option but to walk in the road itself.
The path solved that.
Another project involved installing a zebra crossing on Little Sutton Road, helping families travelling to Moor Hall Primary School and Little Sutton Primary School.
These are the sorts of things that never make national headlines.
But for parents walking their children to school every morning, they matter.
The Reform Question
As elections approach, the political conversation inevitably turns to Reform UK.
Some believe the party could present a serious challenge in parts of the country.
Mackey takes a calmer view.
His belief is that the Reform surge is often overstated, and that the long record of work carried out by Conservative councillors across Sutton Coldfield will still resonate locally.
We will know soon enough.
The ballot box is rarely sentimental.
What Comes Next
At 55, Mackey hardly considers himself finished with anything.
His focus now will shift more fully towards the family business, where his experience and time are increasingly needed.
Like many councillors he has spent years balancing professional life with public service.
Now the balance changes.
A Rare Political Exit
There is an old saying that all political careers end in failure.
That may be true in Westminster.
But occasionally local government produces a different ending.
After more than a decade in office, seven years as Deputy Leader, and a reputation for wit sharp enough to make even hardened councillors cautious, Cllr Ewan Mackey is stepping away on his own terms.
Not exhausted.
Not disgraced.
Not defeated.
Just finished.
And if you know anything about him, you can safely assume one thing.
He will still be working his socks off right up until the first Thursday in May.
After that, someone else will have to supply the punchlines.
Ewan, apart from his politics is a nice bloke, as you say with a ready smile and a lovely family. Best wishes for the future Ewan.