A Labour source told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the party’s regional arm intervened and made the decision over the heads of Brent Labour
A regional branch of the Labour Party has barred eight current councillors in a North London borough from running under the party’s banner at next year’s local elections.
Some of those who have been de-selected are said to be “deflated, depressed, or angry” according to a well-placed Brent Labour source who believes the decision will “undoubtedly have an electoral cost”.
Local elections will take place on May 7 next year, with Brent, alongside all other London borough councils, set to go to the polls. As always, Labour have selected candidates to challenge all 57 seats in the borough, however, rather than this being determined by the local branch as is typical, the selections have been made by assessors including from the party’s London region and the party’s ruling body – the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The Brent Labour source said they were “surprised” by the number of councillors who have been blocked, which includes the local branch’s Chief Whip and a Cabinet member. They claim the reason for the de-selections are still a mystery and the decision will result in “internal splits” forming within the party.
The eight deselected candidates are:
- Cllr Harbi Farah (Welsh Harp), Lead Member for Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills
- Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam (Wembley Park), Labour Group Whip
- Cllr Rita Begum (Kilburn)
- Cllr Jumbo Chan (Harlesden & Kensal Green)
- Cllr Diana Collymore (Northwick Park)
- Cllr Tony Ethapemi (Stonebridge)
- Cllr Erica Gbajuma (Brondesbury Park)
- Cllr Rajan-Seelan (Wembley Central)
Brent’s local Labour Party is the latest branch to be subjected to a Campaign Improvement Board (CIB) – a body established to help local party campaigns to improve their effectiveness with the aim of increasing their chance of winning elections. This includes carrying out interviews for selected candidates and deciding who is chosen and where they will stand.
But the involvement of a CIB in Brent raises further questions about the reason for the deselections, given Labour’s current dominance on Brent Council, where it holds 49 of the 57 seats – including one suspended councillor who is not part of the eight.
Some of the eight de-selected councillors were approached for comment but did not respond.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the Labour source said this decision was “sprung upon” them, leaving many feeling “very unhappy” as it would mean the members wouldn’t be part of the process.
They said: “I would say the vast majority of councillors felt that way as well. […] It has led to factional decision-making rather than ones in the best interest of the local party. When they first announced this, no-one had been informed – not the council leader, not us, no-one.
“For most of the eight it was all a surprise. We were expecting some councillors to be removed for whatever reason but we were surprised they had de-selected so many. […] We are very much reeling, collectively. There’s different emotions, some are deflated, some are depressed, some are almost angry. They’re just upset.”
The reason for blocking the eight sitting councillors from standing again has not been clarified by the Labour Party, which has resulted in confusion and left many party members feeling “dismayed” according to the source. The LDRS approached the London Labour regional branch for a comment but it did not respond.
Speculation around the motives
The information vacuum has meant speculation is rife as to what the motives for the decisions are, with some believing that it is to do with the councillors’ vocal support for a ceasefire in Gaza or the decision to twin Brent with the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank, whilst others have suggested it is to weaken the position of Council Leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt.
The source said: “We see this as a personal attack. Not just on a group of councillors but on the council administration itself, on Cllr Butt. [He] is not in a stronger position than he would have been [if the local branch was allowed to select candidates].
“There have always been serious questions on council decisions under Cllr Butt but we have always debated them in good faith. The right thing would have been for the decision to be achieved democratically.
“I believe the way the council is being run is part of it, but the Nablus twinning is a contributing factor. We are being punished because the twinning arrangement that we agreed wasn’t supported by the national party.”
All of the deselected councillors signed a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2023, which is rumoured to be one of the reasons behind the decisions. However, the Labour source said this “doesn’t make us stand out” like the twinning arrangement does given calls for a ceasefire have been made at councils across the country.
They said: “It feels like that might be what turned them against us and made them interested in proving a point with the local councillors. […] This does not give us an electoral advantage. It will result in the Labour Party internally being split, a lot of members are unhappy, and it will undoubtedly have an electoral cost – there is no way that it won’t.”
The councillors have been advised by the regional branch that the decisions are final and there is no process of appeal for de-selected candidates. It is still unknown whether any of those barred councillors will choose to stand as independents – or perhaps even defect to another party. The CIB is still ongoing and could mean there are more de-selections to come, according to the source.
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