More Brent Labour resignations over rightwards direction of party and undemocratic local council candidate selection

 From Labour Hub

Last month, five Brent councillors in northwest London resigned from the Labour Party and joined the Greens, after local Labour members were denied the right to select candidates for the May 2026 local elections and a special ‘Campaign Improvement Board’ imposed candidates across all wards in the borough, excluding eight sitting councillors, without right of appeal. Now five members of Brent West CLP, all leading activists including former constituency officers, have also quit the Party. Here we publish their Resignation Statement.

We all joined the Labour Party as a vehicle for promoting social justice, both at home and abroad, fairness, equality, protecting the NHS and ensuring a reasonable minimum standard of living for all.  These are the values that the Party held when we first became members. 

Sadly, we have all decided to leave, as it is clear that under the current leadership these values have been abandoned in favour of protecting the status quo where the rich get richer and the majority get poorer, we  allow developers to build luxury homes which remain largely empty when we desperately need social housing, and the leadership have joined the right wing chorus in demonising immigrants rather than addressing the real causes of poverty, our unequal economy system.

On Gaza, Labour has demonstrated a lack of any decent lawful responses to the genocide and the ongoing humanitarian crisis carried out by Israel. Instead, it has assisted Israel with ethnic cleansing of Gaza and remained silent on the daily attacks on Palestinians on the West Bank. The government has supported the genocide by carrying out regular reconnaissance flights over Gaza from a base in Cyprus and sending the information to the Israelis.

Labour has taken the decision to proscribe Palestine Action and remains silent about the hunger strikers. David Lammy initially denied knowledge and continues to refuse to meet the families and lawyers of the eight hunger strikers, five who have been hospitalised, one for the second time. Their families say they are being given no information about their condition.

They have been over a year in prison pre-trial which is double the legal limit, denied bail and their plight ignored by mainstream media.

David Lammy’s proposals for no-jury trials for under 5-year sentences (for which there is no clear evidence base) will affect activists/protesters and according to over 100 senior legal experts, risks deepening disparities and eroding trust among minority communities.

On asylum seekers, we have seen Shabana Mahmood’s shameful proposals as part of this Labour Government’s general move towards adopting the rhetoric of Reform UK and the far right.

Under Labour, we have seen an increase of privatisation and outsourcing of NHS care to the private sector. The NHS is not properly funded or staffed and undervalues social care. 

With over 100,000 vacancies and a real terms funding deficit of £423 billion, the NHS is in crisis. Plans to increase outsourcing of NHS care to private providers contradict clear       evidence that this is associated with widening inequalities, increasing mortality and excessive costs – funding up to 32% profit margins for these private providers.

On the Employment Rights Bill we have seen Labour abandon its manifesto commitment to give workers rights from day one by bowing to the pro-business amendments tabled by the House of Lords.      

We have seen Labour not only abandon its Green Pledge but also propose an expansion of Heathrow Airport which will be a disaster for the environment.

At the most recent budget, Labour bowed to pressure from business and failed to apply a windfall tax on banks or any meaningful taxes that would redistribute wealth fairly.

In addition, we have witnessed Labour imposing an undemocratic selection process for local councillors in Brent. Despite vigorous opposition from the CLP and warnings about the impact on membership and active branches, London Region on behalf of the Labour Party nationally went ahead and deselected eight sitting councillors.

We are fortunate to have a local MP who continues to use all platforms available to put the case for traditional Labour values, although there are now so few voices opposing Labour’s relentless shift to the right. We will continue to campaign for socialist values but sadly this will now be elsewhere.

Elaine MacDonald (Executive Committee delegate)

Alan Scott (EC delegate)

Keith Perrin (EC delegate)

Gaynor Lloyd (General Meeting delegate)

Tim Miles (GM delegate)

 Reacting to the statement, Amandine Alexandre, Brent Green Party Local Contact Officer and Green candidate for Harlesden and Kensal Green said:

Hearing about the news that 5 members of Brent West CLP had resigned, I first rejoiced at the thought that Brent Labour Party had suffered another major loss. However, after reading their statement and being reminded again about the way Keir Starmer has betrayed Labour Party members and voters, I felt incredibly sad. The ideological direction taken by Starmer's government is having a severe impact on people's lives and future, starting with the hunger strikers, three of whom are from Brent. In the face of the intolerable cruelty and cowardice displayed by the Prime Minister and his supporters, we can only show courage, determination and open the way to a radical and far superior way of doing politics - with people's best interests in mind.

South Kilburn pensioner's heating back on after 44 days and 17 appointments

Pensioner John H's heating was finally repaired today. From Day 1 the 24th November, 2025 until today the 6th January 2026 the heating was down for 44 days. There were a total of 17 appointments arranged with SureServe of which four were attended and 13 missed.

John is a disabled  tenant of Octavia Housing at Bannister House South Kilburn.

Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson commented on Wembey Matters today:  'The repair has been completed today after continued advocacy by the council's housing partnerships team. The support to the resident is ongoing. 

The saga isn't quite over. John told Wembley Matters this evening: 

All my heating is back on.

However, I now need another repair appointment to fix all the damage caused by SureServe today, including disconnecting my heating meter, which shows how much credit I have left and leaving some of my pipework exposed.

I asked Octavia to carry out the repair but they say it's not their responsibility and it's up to me to arrange the appointment with Insite Energy, who provide my heating.

 

Wednesday January 7th 2pm online Help Shape Brent Resilience Hub Toolkit

 From CVS Brent

 

Join an online focus group where your feedback will directly shape the Brent Resilience Hub Toolkit to support local communities.   Are you a Brent resident or part of a voluntary or community organisation? We’d love your input. We’re inviting residents and voluntary sector organisations in Brent to take part in an online focus group to help shape the Brent Resilience Hub Toolkit. The toolkit will bring together practical guidance, local resources, and support to help Brent communities build resilience. Your feedback will directly influence the final design and ensure the toolkit reflects local needs and experiences.   Open to: Brent residents and voluntary/community sector organisations. The session will be informal and interactive, and no preparation is needed.     REGISTER NOW

 

Ecologically diverse front gardens - what we need and how we might get there

 

 

As a child living in Kingsbury in the 1950s I was fond of the suburban front gardens of Crundale Avenue and Valley Drive - full of shrubs, flowers and the occasional specimen tree. Now many of those have been converted into parking lots..

The CPRE Front Gardens Network seeks to  stop the decline of the front garden and the biodiversity they encouraged. In a September online meeting Rosie Whicheloe, in an Independent Ecologiss capacity,  gave a stimulating  presentation on how to reverse, enhance or preserve front gardens. It began by demonstrating how the front gardens between Fryent Country Park and the Welsh Harp could be mapped as a project starting point.

Thanks to the CPRE, Front Gardens Network and Rosie for permission to post the video here. 

The London Front Gardens Network promotes de-paving and re-greening of front gardens by enabling people working in this area to exchange information and ideas, amplify the voices of individuals, and promote joint working where it can increase impact. Ultimately the aim is to re-establish important wildlife habitat; reduce river pollution and flooding caused by excessive rainwater run-off; reduce the urban heat island effect caused by paved surfaces; and make streets more pleasant to encourage walking and to promote wellbeing.

 

Suburban street in Jack Rosenthal's 'Ptang, yang, Kipperbang' (1982)

 

The UK’s disappearing gardens Most recently, in October, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) published The State of Gardening, along with first-time mapping of the UK’s domestic, public and private gardens which finds that: “Just 0.15% of domestic garden is artificial lawn but this still accounts for 7.5million m2 while artificial grass across all cultivated green space stands at 18million m2 - more than six times the size of the City of London.” “More than a third (35%) of domestic gardens comprises lawn, with 25.8% under trees and 11% as flower beds.” “42% of domestic garden space is paved over (55% of front garden space and 36% of back garden space)”  As we know, the loss of gardens adds to rising flood risk and health-harm from higher temperatures i.e. not just in official ‘heatwaves’, and reduces the role of gardens, soils and plants in supporting wild species, storing carbon, and capturing some air pollutants.   For more, see pages 12 and 13 of the report:    The RHS is calling for: Policymakers to guarantee “Space to Grow” in all housing and urban planning, so every household has access to a garden. Homeowners to consider robust planting and permeable paving for front garden driveways to help mitigate flood risk and promote the cooling potential of gardens as well as support biodiversity. Local councils to ensure diversity in tree planting, prioritising those species that will respond best to climate change. Developers to design gardens with water channelling, capture and storage facilities to help future proof them.

 

 

Dawn Butler's appeal to Keir Starmer to scrap 'Aim to Permit' for gambling premises

 

There are two more pages of cross-party signatories including Brent councillors.

Extraordinary Meeting of Brent Council on January 13th 2026 to agree new committee positions following Labour defections to Brent Green Party

 An Extraordinary Meeting of Brent Council has been called in line with constitutional rules to allocate the new distribution of committee positions This follows the move of 5 Labour councillors to the Green Party and the formation of a new Green Group, led by Cllr Mary Mitchell.

The Green Group becomes the second largest opposition group after the Conservatives taking over from the Liberal Democrats for the purpose of the Members Allowance scheme. LINK

The distribution of Committee seats:

 

Wembley Matters readers urged to write to Barry Gardiner, Dawn Butler and Sarah Jones MPs on plight of the hunger strikers whose lives are on the line

dawn.butler.mp@parliament.uk  https://twitter.com/dawnbutlerbrent

sarah.jones.mp@parliament.uk  https://twitter.com/LabourSJ

barry.gardiner.mp@parliament.uk   https://x.com/BarryGardiner

 Remember to include your full postal address to prove that you are a constituent.

 

Noreen Scott is urging readers of Wembley Matters to write to Dawn Butler MP, (Brent East), Sarah Jones MP (Croydon Central) and Barry Gardiner MP (Brent West0, all MPs who have constituents on hunger strike, to write to their MP  (addresses above) along the following lines. 

Dear Dawn, Sarah and Barry,

We were very disturbed to read the following report in relation to one of the hunger strikers, Teuta Hoxha, a constituent of Sarah Jones MP, but our concerns remain the same in relation to all other hunger strikers, your constituents, their families and visiting friends.

In the circumstances,  we would appreciate if you could make enquiries as to…

WHY 

“Relatives of Teuta Hoxha, a Palestine Action activist on a long-term hunger strike, reported being followed by drones after attempting to visit her at HMP Peterborough”?

AND WHY:

Family members including Hoxha's 17-year-old sister, Rahma, who travelled to HMP Peterborough in December 2025, reported being turned away and refused the visit by prison authorities for wearing "banned colours”!?

Since when have prison authorities in the UK banned colours that VISITORS wear and under whose authority?

“Following the refused entry, the family alleged they were followed home by drones."

With regards to the family reportedly followed home by drones, under whose authority would this have happened, and WHY?

Teuta Hoxha, 29, began her hunger strike on 9th November 2025 and has now reached day 56 of her protest, “with reports stating she could barely stand without blacking out and was experiencing severe cognitive difficulties.”

The apparent unjustified authoritarian treatment endured by the hunger strikers, together with reported legal breaches, highlight that these and all other related complaints must be thoroughly addressed and investigated immediately.

Before being incarcerated, without having been convicted of any crime, Lewie Chiaramello was a resident of Brent East. Lewie's MP is Dawn Butler.  Lewie joined the hunger strike on alternate days on 24th November, despite being type 1 diabetic. This medical condition, along with his hunger strike, is life-threatening.

Barry Gardiner (MP for Brent West) is Heba Muraisi’s MP. Heba has been on hunger strike since 3rd November 2025, which is now 62 days..

“After 62 days on a hunger strike, the body is in a state of advanced, severe starvation, leading to critical organ impairment and placing the individual in an immediate, life-threatening situation. Survival beyond this point without medical intervention is extremely unlikely, as death often occurs between 46 and 73 days.”

Heba has also been placed in New Hall Prison, West Yorkshire, a cruel long journey from Brent for her parents and loved ones.

Another of Barry Gardiner’s constituents, Qesser Zuhrah, was on hunger strike since 2nd November,  but paused it after 48 days on 23rd December. 

Concerningly, there have been widespread reports that “Qesser’s rights and freedoms have constantly been abused by the prison, including arbitrary restrictions on visits, closed visits, and being put into solitary confinement. Also, prison staff have forced her to remove her kuffiyah hijab, and confiscated all of her hijabs with the kuffiyah pattern from her cell. Her cell was (reportedly) searched without reason or respect for her privacy. On one occasion a guard reportedly stormed into her cell without his bodycam on, to rip off the flowers she had put in her window, each symbolising a Palestinian martyr.”

Further alarming reports have been that, after experiencing severe pain in her chest and collapsing on the floor of her cell at HMP Bronzefield in agony, she begged for an ambulance. She was denied an ambulance all night, and well into the next day, in flagrant violation of her human right to medical care. The actions of prison staff were so inhumane and wreckless, as to suggest they want her to die. This appears to be negligence in a duty of care and misconduct of prison medical staff - potential misconduct, so serious, that in any scenario outside of prison, they would surely be struck off, and even face criminal proceedings.

As MPs, you have a duty of care to your constituents, including all the hunger strikers. We therefore implore you to speak up immediately, taking all measures within your power to raise these grave concerns with the UK Government, and seek immediate action to address their concerns and alleviate such unnecessary suffering.

These young people took action to save lives, and stop the genocide against Palestinians. They are prisoners of conscience. They should be released immediately on bail, and have the opportunity to prepare for a fair trial, without unlawful interference in the judicial process.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) upholds the human rights of prisoners, and states that no prisoner should be subject to inhumane or degrading treatment, and they have a right to receive the same medical care that anyone would receive outside of prison. 

It seems that all these political prisoners have been subject to treatment from the British government and prison authorities that served no clear purpose, other than to inflict psychological torment on them, their families and loved ones, such as the denial of visits, and depriving them of communications and support.  

We call upon you to use your influence as MPs, and take immediate and decisive action to save the lives of these prisoners of conscience, who could tragically die at any given moment; which many constituents may view as a direct result of neglect and depraved indifference of the British government, and prison authorities. 

Due to our urgent humanitarian concerns above, we urge all readers to send a similar letter to their MPs. 

Brent constituents:
Noreen Scott
Saba Chaudry
Fitzroy Lee
Gaynor Lloyd

Kwabena Nyack: A constituent of Sarah Jones, Labour MP for Croydon Central

Addresses supplied.

Please email Noreen at noreenscott@hotmail.co.uk to let her know you have written to your MP and to have your name published above.