Brent Anti-racism Charter 2022
Exclusive insight from a former Brent Labour Party member:
Labour's Ruling Body (National Executive Committee) have imposed all Labour council candidates in Brent without any say from thousands of local party members or long serving MPs.
This includes barring eight sitting BAME Councillors, including Labour’s Chief Whip Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam and Cabinet Member Cllr Harbi Farah from standing in the May 2026 council election.
All deselected councillors signed a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2023, infuriating Starmer loyalists. This is thought to be the primary motive for their deselection.
White councillors who also signed the same statement survived the purge, in a move that will undoubtedly raise some difficult questions for Labour on the doorstep amongst Brent’s diverse communities.
The panel that decided Labour’s candidate list was chaired by Starmerite and corporate lobbyist Abdi Duale, who also carried out most of the interviews that led to the Councillors being deselected.
London Labour Party Executive member and Kingsbury Councillor Shama Tatler did not stand [she said so in Twitter statement]. She was a vocal supporter of the move to take decision making out of the hands of Labour members, and is rumoured to have been actively involved in deciding the final list of candidates. Cllr Tatler was also involved in the running of a similar process in Leicester in 2023, which deselected 19 Muslim and Hindu Councillors.
New Starmerite MP, Georgia Gould, imposed by the national party in 2024, is rumoured to have taken time out of her busy government ministerial role to personally intervene to encourage the purge and replace sitting Councillors with her Starmerite allies.
This comes four days after Labour's catastrophic defeat in the West Hampstead ward by-election in neighbouring Camden Council. A similar 23-point swing in Brent in 2026 would see councillors being lost in almost every single Labour-held ward. The recent upheaval in Brent Labour will undoubtedly increase this likelihood, leading to internal fears that Labour could lose control of Brent’s administration.
This appears to be the first step in removing council leader Muhammed Butt, motivated by Starmerite outrage over his non-compliance, especially his decision to allow Brent council to set up a ‘twinning arrangement’ with Nablus, a town in Palestine.
EDITOR'S NOTE - The deselected individuals remain as Brent councillors until the May 2026 Local Election unless they resign.
71 comments:
Is this the same Shama Tatler who was herself imposed by the party upon Chingford and Woodford Green (after they had removed Faiza Shaheen as its candidate at the last minute), and then who went on to lose to Iain Duncan Smith in last year’s general election?
Those purged members must not mourn or moan their deselection for showing guts and principles. As for Council Leader Butt...he is one who responds to letters and messages.
Massive scoop, this needs to be publicised further and the editor may like to pass to national press
Butt, your time is numbered
Those BME councillors who are victims of conscience and institutional racism should remember that the papers for their replacements arnt submitted until next year. They now have a real opportunity to show off their political campaign skills to overturn these decisions. Because if there is one thing we know about about Starmarites, is that they place the smallest pressure upon them, thet will spin like a weather vane in the opposite direction.
We have roads in Brent with potholes and non-existant road markings yet our Labour councillors voted to twin with Nablus. We want councillors who focus on local issues not geo-politics.
Council staff write Butt's letters and emails. The Labour Office in the Civic Centre is full of 'Labour Office staff'.
Did not Comrade Butt claim that he joined Momentum (Corbyn's faction) - so why was he kept on? They deselected my Councillor in Brondesbury Park why?
Who’s we? I live in Brent. I support the twinning as do every one of my family members and friends in Brent. It’s a beautiful move that fits Brent’s unity in diversity. It’s telling that this move hasn’t come from us, the people of Brent, but from the internal machinations of a party which has broken pledge after pledge and is wildly unpopular
Heart goes out to all of the hardworking councillors who’ve dedicated years to Brent, being pushed out by a party which doesn’t reflect our values. I love Brent for all the different communities who live together, for the creativity and the colour and the kindness. To see all of that stomped up on by a party machine that doesn’t represent us, doesn’t reflect us, doesn’t work for us breaks my heart. Shame on Starmer and his lackeys.
Hadn’t made that connection! Honestly these people are shameless.
Yep fully agree. Where there are figures involved with ties to and/or defend an apartheid regime committing genocide we have to call that out. But that’s separate from our Jewish friends and neighbours who have always been an important part of Brent. The conflation is wrong and dangerous. And as you say, ignores the many incredible Jewish voices from Brent who have stood for human rights for all
Are you seriously suggesting that the potholes in Brent are caused by the Council expressing sympathy for the Palestinian people? Maybe the potholes are the result of the scarcity of resources. Plus not being helped by the damage done by the increasing number of suvs that put extra pressure on the roads.
Shama Tatler is to blame. She was the puppet master for the selections.
Seems colonialism, land grabbing, apartheid and genocide must be supported or you're ostracised, sacked and neutralised!! Shocking and as a Lab member i will now leave "Labour".
How did Tatler become so powerful? Who are her benefactors, and why? She's not particularly popular with other councillors in Brent or her own constituents. Seems very much like a revenge trip by the Brent Starmerites.
To anonymous who questioned my comments about the potholes, it is about the time and energy spent on the twinning as opposed to spending time on looking at the faded markings on roads. For instance, crossroad markings have faded. Signage for a particular crossroad is covered with tree foliage so anyone driving through this road at night may not know it is a crossroad and continue without stopping. What we need is a healthy opposition in Brent Council.
I dont agree with leaving the party when the majority are fools. All the more reason to hang on in. It'll reverse in time & the fools will be evicted. Dont give them what they want. They are thieves & liars. Show them up!
Camden member.
Just goes to show that those opposing Jeremy Corbyn never accepted the changes.
Must have been a bit like this with the return of the monarchy after Cromwell.
Further proof, if any was needed, that Starmer's Labour Party has no humanity, no principles and no conscience. Thank goodness there will soon be a new home for the decent councillors who truly represent the best of Brent, in the Party being created from the grassroots up by Jeremy Corbyn, Zara Sultana and all of us who support justice for the people of Palestine, opposition to racism and bigotry and respect for international law and a welcome for refugees. Starmer is so busy wrapping himself in the Butcher's Apron and trying to out do ReformUK in his vile racism, that he's become a laughing stock
I 100% agree with Karen. I am a resident from the north of our borough, and officer time better be spent on things which are local like roads, parks and care. Rally your MPs for international issues, and let LOCAL government deal with LOCAL issues. Your MPs can speak with the foreign secretary and deal with international issues. Even if things are funded by external sources, officer time is not free, it is paid by Council Tax. Also, this council has been wasting officer time on things local people have not mandated or voted for. If you want the local authority to start getting involved in international issues, setup a party to do that and see if the people of Brent vote you in. Most people probably just want clean streets and highway infrastructure that is properly maintained proactively rather than residents having to report everything to this council. Enough is enough, put the LOCAL back into LOCAL government. I’m not saying international issues are not important, but local people did not vote for officer time to be spent on international issues, and therefore there is no mandate. If you have all your decks in order, then feel free to focus on other things, but if your roads are crumbling, and your using officer time for international issues, you have got your priorities WRONG. If LOCAL councillors are not focusing on LOCAL issues, then there is a real big problem that needs to be addressed, and it appears it has been addressed now. There are no excuses, I’ve said this in plain English. End of.
This is not unique to Brent, racism, oppression and bullying closing down voices especially those representing our diverse communities get shoved out. We are meant to vote, shut up and stay in our lanes… Sad- Well done to those who brave councillors who push back against oppression! There should be an independent investigation and follow up into the harassment, intimidation and bullying that goes on in labour groups as a whole as clearly Lord Forde’s report has been forgotten!
Edited comment: Shama failed MP Tower Block Tatler is a disgrace. I celebrated when she lost in Chingford. And so is Israel supporting Georgia Gould a disgrace. I’ve written to her several times on Gaza and she hasn’t replied. She did not sign the 25 July 2025 letter to enforce sanctions on Israel, tacitly supporting the genocidal murder of women and babies by the bloody hand of Israel.
Too right
So the Israel supporting Tatler and Gould impose their right wing candidates on Brent. Meanwhile they have got rid of left wing councillors who oppose the genocide going on in Gazza. Some of the councillor remaining councillors don't even understand what the Labour Party stands for, they are mainly in it for their own self importance.
Great news!! Let’s hope it’s the beginning of the end for Butt & Labour in Brent. STICK TO LOCAL POLITICAL ISSUES & not international politics on the other side of the world!
Local elections are about local issues, not national or international issues.
We pay our hard earned council tax to fund local services and our local councillors should be making sure that our council tax money is spent wisely for the benefit of us residents here by holding the council to account on their plans and scrutinising their decisions.
These are the types of issues we should be worried about locally ... our council tax goes towards policing - did Brent Council and our local councillors fight against this poor decision??? ...
Met’s axing of safer school officers ‘catastrophic’, says ‘crushed’ south London headteacher:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-police-safer-school-officers-budget-cuts-london-b1245959.html
“My message to Labour is very clear: we are not here to be disappointed by you. We are not here to be concerned by you. We are here to REPLACE you.” - Zack Polanski, Leader of The Green Party
Yes! The Labour vote was split as a consequence and he won by default
Excerpt from an article: “ UK election: Labour replaces Faiza Shaheen with member of pro-Israel JLM
World
3 min read
The New Arab Staff
01 June, 2024
Former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen has been replaced by Shama Tatler, a member of the pro-Israel organisation Jewish Labour Movement.”
We shouldn't forget that Kathleen Fraser has been suspended to stop her standing again, and stop her being Mayor of Brent so we get a no politics wannabe instead. Surely Cllr Tatler had her hand in this as she disliked Kathleen quite openly.
It isn't as if the potholes won't be fixed because of the twinning.( Which was promoted mainly by one councillor in Willesden Green.) We had a dangerous loose pavement slab outside our home. Several residents complained and they fixed it. There have been plenty of roadworks going on in Brent over the summer. I agree about the need for stronger opposition though.
What happens in the Middle East does have a direct connection to Brent. At least one of Dawn Butler's constituents was taken hostage on October 7th and Brent has the 2nd largest Arab population in the UK( including people of Palestinian origin whose families are directly effected by the conflict) as well a long standing Jewish community
I note that the councillor Ihtesham Afzal who was supposedly to represent Wembley Hill ward was the one that championed the twinning of Brent with Nablus has disappeared off any of the lists for new candidates ! I wonder why?
Over the past 3 local elections I have voted for anyone but Labour as they have ruined Brent, I do hope that this information will persuade the rest of the electorate to do the same in 2026
Let’s be real… Brent Labour is showing its true colours. Cllr Erica, a Black woman who’s put in the work for Brondesbury, gets deselected. Her white male ward partner, Cllr Hack, stays. Same ward, same statement, but only one punished. That’s not discipline, that’s racism. Straight up.
This is the same script they’ve been running on Diane Abbott for decades. First Black woman MP, and instead of honouring her, Labour’s tried everything to silence, humiliate, and erase her. Now it’s happening again at council level. Black women thrown out, white men shielded.
Eight BAME councillors gone in one sweep, almost all because they stood up for Palestine. Meanwhile the white councillors who signed the same Gaza letter get a free pass. Don’t let anyone tell you this is about “rules.” It’s about who they think they can crush and who they protect.
But here’s the thing Starmer’s people don’t want you to remember: you’re still councillors until May. You’ve still got your seats, your votes, your platform. That means you’ve got the power to fight back and make this the hardest final year Butt has ever had.
So don’t waste it. Stand tall, stand united, and use every bit of that power. There are so many ways to turn the heat up:
• Flood the meetings: Pack every council meeting with questions they don’t want asked. Force debates on Palestine, racism, housing, the cuts they’d rather sneak through quietly. Put it on the record, over and over again.
• Use the Charter against them: Brent passed an Anti-Racism Charter in 2022. Drag it out and use it like a mirror. How can they claim anti-racism while deselecting Black women? Make them answer it in public.
• Table motions: Even if they get voted down, motions force debates. Make them talk about the purge. Make them talk about Palestine. Make them talk about the gap between their words and their actions.
• Split their base: Force votes that expose divisions between the loyalists and everyone else. Make it clear Butt doesn’t command unity. Show the cracks.
• Use committees: Scrutiny committees are your weapon. Call in cabinet decisions. Demand reports. Put officers on the spot. Make the machine answer for itself.
• Slow it down: Procedure is power. Drag out the business. Force extra meetings. Ask for recorded votes. Don’t give them an easy ride.
• Take it public: Use your platform as elected councillors. Write to the local press. Put statements online. Knock doors and tell people the truth about what’s happening. Use your voice before they try to take it away.
Butt and his backers want a smooth glide into May. They want to purge you quietly and hope the community just accepts it. Do not give them that. Make this last term heavy. Make it chaotic. Make every step they take contested.
And remember, you’re not alone. The people of Brent elected you. They put you in that chamber. You don’t owe Westminster loyalists a thing. You owe your community resistance. You owe them honesty. You owe them the fight.
If you stand tall, if you stick together, if you use every inch of the power you still hold, you can make sure Cllr Butt doesn’t get to leave on his own terms. You can topple him before the election even lands.
This is the moment. Don’t bow out quietly. Go down fighting and make it clear: Brent will not be dictated to by Starmer’s machine. Brent belongs to its people.
Know that phrase: “All good things come to an end?” Well the fate to be for many Brent puppets standing at next year’s local ejections. Many residents have seen right through them. Nothing Labour about them. The tide is turning. Rock on Your Party, Libdems, Greens. Anything else but Labour.
Our MPs Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler are the people to approach about national and international matters. The can raise matters in parliament.
Self harming exercise. They clearly didn't read the room. People abhor genocide.
Obvious why the disliked councillors have been kept in “the fold”. Keep your enemies near, watering down their threat to Labour as independent candidates or otherwise. They will only be chucked out in four years time should they be elected next year. Better off giving the two finger salute, galvanising together to give Brent Labour the bashing it so richly deserves.
Agree with Anonymous @ 17:33. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of things with a connection to Brent, but Brent can’t fix everything I’m afraid. Once we set a precedent, will the council be taking on things affecting all of the diverse groups of Brent? Likely not. The council has limited resource and officer time, spend it on things it is legally required to do like roads, parks and care! LOCAL government for LOCAL issues. MPs can deal with national and international Issues as they have the platform to do that like you mentioned yourself.
He moved out of Brent
They want rid of Butt too as he doesn't support the Starmer view of Britain.
Excellent comment from Anon 16.36. It is time people fight back, find their voice and stand united
Assuming Labour members are fools is surely foolish. Most joined and remain members through thick and thin not for factional reasons but because of class loyalty and decent values. Now is not the time to leave the party but to stay in and fight Reform, Tories and Labour’s own the corporate stooges whose days are numbered.
Zack Polanski - ex member of the Liberal Democrats who only left because he was not selected as a Liberal Democrat Candidate in a by-election in Richmond a few years ago. He is a very clever populist and self promoter just like Farage. The Greens had high hopes of support from betrayed Labour voters until Jeremy Corbyn decided to form a new Party. Time will tell how the so called 'left' vote will split - and let the far right take power.
The local elections are about local issues.
Local councillors are elected to deal with local matters.
National and international matters are dealt with by Members of Parliament who can rause local residents concerns with the Government and the Prime Minister.
Iain Duncan Smith would have won regardless - he's a very well respected MP in Chingford.
If Councillor Ihtesham Afzal moved out of Brent why has he not already stood down as a Brent councillor? Why has there not been a by election?
He's still listed as a Brent Councillor on Brent Council website and his Register of Interests shows that he is "Executive Member Brent-Nablus Twinning Association":
https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=12920&HID=3436&FID=0&HPID=281605128
And the entry here for the "BRENT NABLUS TWINNING ASSOCIATION CIC
Company number 16480094" shows he's a councillor:
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16480094/officers
Why those deselected councillors are campaigning against Palestinian people when it doesn’t concern them, is it the reason why we the Brent residents are voting for them for?
Thanks for calling it what it is - genocide. The egregious slaughter and starvation of innocent babies and women is morally indefensible and unacceptable. Yet Labour stands by and watches. Shame on Labour. Babies killed, women collecting food are used as practice targets by the IDF. All who watch with the power to do something / support Israel are complicit in these murderous and heinous crimes.
NOTE RE COMMENTS. Because comments go into a queue for moderation when responding it is best to quote the date and time of the comment you are responding to. Otherwise two or 3 comments word such as 'So what!' appear random and not connected to anything that has gone before. Thank you.
Call out your local MPs to put pressure on the government - they deal with international issues.
Local Councillors deal with local issues.
Please speak for yourself, this is a humanitarian decision. I’m a Brent resident and have been for last 61 years and everyone I know that lives in brent supported the decision. That includes my Jewish friends. They only objections which were very few, came from right wing or Zionists. The potholes are all over the country and not just Brent get a grip and you do not speak for all Brent residents.
You do know that local government invests our money in private sector companies which are global. So how does what you posted make sense.
They use the ROI to fund officer time/pay checks and their work should be limited to local things like roads and house building, not international issues which can be dealt with through MPs. If Brent councillors start solving all of the world’s problems using cash from hard working residents I don’t think it would be fair. My post was very clear, leave local government to handle local things. Whether local government invests in global companies and makes a return, the expenditure of the return would be limited to projects the council is legally entitled to fund such as parks, roads and house building. If we get the basics right, then yes maybe do things outside of the councils remit; but this is not currently the case at this Council and I don’t think there is any evidence to prove otherwise.
It was not in the manifesto, there was no mandate from Brent residents, which has a population of over a quarter of a million people. Please provide some objective evidence that the majority of the over 300,000 people wanted it. I’m neither agreeing or disagreeing with it, just pointing out the facts. The moment we start involving geo political issues into local politics it sets a very stark and dangerous precedent as Brent is a very diverse borough, we cannot bring all international issues to our town hall which is strapped for cash. The council has limited resources.
That’s not true. Look at the result
You should check your facts before publishing.
There were two Gaza-related statements signed by Brent councillors in October 2023. One was produced by the Labour Muslim Network, and was signed by six Brent councillors. Of those, four have been reselected to stand in 2026.
The second statement was signed by 38 Brent Labour councillors, the majority of whom have been reselected.
Yes, he won!
“The other side of the world”? At least get your geography right.
Local councillors are elected to deal with local matters.
National and international matters are dealt with by Members of Parliament who can raise local residents concerns with the Government and the Prime Minister.
Were there 3 signed statements?
Report here with 22
Any links to 6 and 36?
This is the report with 22:
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2025/09/full-list-of-labour-party-selections.html
The full list would be useful for interested voters.
Please kindly edit my response
Of course meant
11
And
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2023/10/six-brent-labour-councillors-sign.html?m=1
Perhaps should not be posting at 3am
Were there 3 signed statements?
Report here with 11
Any links to 6 and 36?
This is the report with 11:
https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2023/10/six-brent-labour-councillors-sign.html?m=1
The full list would be useful for interested voters
No evidence either Erica or Ryan signed any such statement.
So far confirmed only 3 of the names, therefore the same may holds for perhaps the majority of these councillors.
The accusation of signing the statement is perhaps libellous.
I wish someone would tell my councilor to deal with local issues and not self promotion
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