He was leader of the local authority between May 2007 and February 2011, when he stepped down for family reasons,[4] but was soon re-elected to the position in August of the same year, following the death of local MP David Cairns which in turn led to McCabe's successor Iain McKenzie being elected to Westminster in the 2011 Inverclyde by-election.[1]
McCabe was arrested on 4 November 2024, on suspicion of assault.[5] On 15 November 2024 Mccabe was charged with assault and threatening and abusive behaviour. He resigned as leader of the council later that day.[6] The assault charge was dropped in March 2025 and McCabe was reappointed as leader later that month, replacing Robert Moran who had been elected to the role in December 2024.[7]
It was revealed in August 2025 that McCabe had broken rules by not declaring that his landlord was Willie Haughey, a Labour peer in the House of Lords.[8]
