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No evidence produced that Councillor Greg Brackenridge, husband of MP Sureena, served as a ‘green beret’ Royal Marine
When does someone have the right to call themselves a Royal Marine?
That’s the question at the heart of an investigation into Wolverhampton councillor Greg Brackenridge, who is facing sanctions over a claim he misled and ‘betrayed trust’ over his military service record.
We can now reveal that an independent investigation has been carried out for Wolverhampton Council into a complaint that Brackenridge, husband of Wolverhampton North East MP Sureena, had acted against the council’s code of conduct over the issue of ‘stolen valour’ – a term describing people who exaggerate or lie about serving in the Armed Forces.
The report’s findings have now been shared with the council.
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We understand that it concludes that there has been no evidence produced that Brackenridge ever ‘passed out’ and achieved the famous ‘green beret’ to become a Royal Marine.
The under-fire councillor refused to cooperate with the independent probe.
If the report is accepted, the council’s standards committee could find that it amounts to bringing the office of councillor and the council itself into disrepute.
Cllr Brackenridge had claimed to have had a ‘professional career’ as a Royal Marine and had spoken at a council event of his Royal Marines service.
The findings are now set to be shared with members of the council’s governance and ethics committee, who will decide whether to proceed to a full standards hearing.
That could result in the councillor being either cleared of any wrongdoing or being found to have breached the councillor code of conduct, triggering sanctions.
The Labour Party has previously issued a formal warning to Cllr Brackenridge after briefly suspending him over the same issue, as reported by BirminghamLive here.
Brackenridge, a veteran Labour councillor for Wednesbury South, was a member of the Armed Forces Covenant Board until he resigned that role in October last year amid the allegations of ‘stolen valour’.
He also resigned as chair of West Midlands Fire Service Authority at the same time amid mounting pressure over the suicide of former chief officer Wayne Brown, who had been facing allegations that he had lied about his qualifications.
Brackenridge has previously refused to provide evidence of his military service, saying those records are private, but has told BirminghamLive previously that he joined up with the Marines after leaving school but had to prematurely curtail his service due to a ‘family emergency’.
He maintained at that time that as far as he was concerned he had been ‘a marine’ from the moment he started his training and had been devastated to have to leave.
He also said he had faced threats as a result of the speculation about his service and had made a formal complaint that his military service records might have been illegally accessed. He said at the time: “I find it incredible anyone would attack people who join the military and want to serve their country. I have served as a firefighter, now retired, and councillor to continue to serve my community.”
Brackenridge also said he had never claimed to have served on the frontline or seen active service.
Investigators are said to have heard evidence from two former Royal Marines and trawled online sources for information to determine at what point a Royal Marine became so.
The report, prepared for the council’s monitoring officer David Pattison by consultants Kenyon Brabrook, was based on interviews and submissions, but it did not include direct interviews with Cllr Brackenridge, who declined the opportunity to answer questions or take part.
As a result references to his actions had to be drawn from media reporting, council records and other sources, we understand.
The complaint submitted to the council last year stated that while serving as deputy mayor of Wolverhampton in 2021, Cllr Brackenridge attended a ceremony where he stated he had ‘served as a Royal Marine’. A video was made at the time of his appearance.
The council decided an investigation was warranted because it was in the interest of the public to know if he made untrue comments about his role in the Royal Marines when acting in his capacities as a councillor and mayoral representative.
The allegations of “stolen valour” centred around words spoken by Cllr Brackenridge in Wednesfield while unveiling a 10ft sculpture commemorating the Battle of Saraghari, a significant event in Sikh history.
He told the audience at the event: “I served as a Royal Marine myself when I left my school and I worked with members of the Sikh community in the Armed Forces and people from all around the world – the Nepalese and the Ghurkas – and this monument will serve as permanent reminder…of their sacrifice.”
In a separate event in 2024 Cllr Brackenridge attended an armed forces covenant event wearing what appeared to be a Royal Marines tie.
In election literature he had also stated: “It has been an honour to serve the people of Wednesfield over many years as your councillor and in my previous professional careers, firstly with the Royal Marines…”
The issue of when a recruit can lay claim to being ‘a Royal Marine’ was part of the investigation, and we understand the conclusion reached was that only when a green beret was awarded on successful completion of the 32-week Commando training course at Lympstone was the status applied.
Oliver Lee was appointed by Brackenridge as interim chief officer at the fire service following the tragic death of Wayne Brown. A former commander of 45 Command in the Royal Marines, he spoke to the investigation to repeat his previously stated view that it would be “inappropriate and misleading” to describe oneself as a Royal Marine without having achieved that status.
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He has previously claimed that Cllr Brackenridge had spent considerable time at their first informal discussion ahead of his fire service appointment telling him that he was a Royal Marine and had been in 45 Commando – the troops that Lee had led for several years, though the two men served at different times.
Mr Lee has also previously stated in LinkedIn posts that he was absolutely clear in his mind that Brackenridge had done ‘a proper stint’ as a Royal Marine, and this was further reinforced during discussions about Royal Marines memorabilia that Mr Lee had on display in his Fire Service office.
We have reached out to Cllr Brackenridge to offer him a right of reply on several occasions and via the Labour Party but he has not responded.
Wolverhampton Council, asked to comment, would say only: “A detailed report setting out code of conduct complaints received in 2024, and their current status, is scheduled to go to the Governance and Ethics Committee scheduled for 3 July. It will be published on 25 June.
“In line with the council’s constitution, the committee would need to agree to a Standards hearing in any matter before it takes place.”
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