Cllr Maurice
Cllr Rajan-Seelan's defection to the Tories today makes things rather difficult for Brent Tories as there are only 5 seats in which they stand even a slight chance in the 2026 Brent Council election.
It appeared that there might be a spare when rumours emerged that Cllr Michael Maurice hadn't made it through the first stage of the Conservative's selection process at Brent West constituency and had lost an appeal against the decision.
However, someone then had the bright idea of applying through the Brent East constituency and Maurice received backing from Harrow East MP, Bob Blackman, Chair of the Monday Club, and is back in the selection process - helped by higher echelons of the party,
As commented on this blog recently, other Tory councillors have looked a trifle uncomfortable during some of Cllr Maurice's recent speeches and interventions particularly on the Nablus partnership issue and the racism debate.
Tensions may now appear between the Brent East and West constituency parties over 'An embarrassment saved by his mates.'
31 comments:
Several Brent West seats are easily winnable for the Tories if Reform don't stand. They would be: Wembley Hill, Preston, Northwick Park and Wembley Central. The Labour vote has collapsed, as has their membership, and it will no doubt get worse as time goes by.
Where on earth will they place Cllr Maurice?
Do you mean Harrow East? As Queensbury is in Harrow East and the constituency is represented by Bob Blackman that makes more sense than Brent East.
The best thing for the Party and residents in Kenton would be if this liability is not re-elected and the residents get Cllrs who actually live or work in Kenton who are professional, competent and hard working Councillors that actually do things and get issues resolved - Vote him out! He should stand down or be voted out! Bob Blackman is way to cocky for his boot and is abusing the selection process with his power in the Party to override the written procedure - Vote Bob out! (Conservative Party Supporter) I will only support the Conservatives if these two toxic people are voted out.
No Bob Blackman has stuck his nose into Brent West and Brent East when he is not even the MP in Brent. Sticking up for this corrupt and bent Councillor.
love it
Yeah I agree it’s possible if people vote tactically.
Why pick on poor MM - none of the 5 Tories are competent. More importantly their petty personality infighting proves how unfit they are to hold public office. The Blackman intervention just shows that just like Labour the Brent Tory party is also run by outsiders with very little interest in what is actually good for the people of Brent. Kick them ALL out please.
so very true
Where is the political competence in Labour in Brent? Brent Borough is inundated by aspiring careerist would-be Cllrs
Bob Blackmam used to run Brent Council so knows it more than the Labour outsiders
LOL
The problem is Brent West Tories have a lot of infighting they are completely incompetent and have you seen their recent leaflet - it’s an absolute joke
Brent is a joke - people are fed up and non of the parties seems to have a solution. They are just after titles and filling their pockets. The borough needs genuine leadership and people who will stand for office that will make a difference not power hungry for self promotion
filling their pockets with all of 10k a year for a thankless role
Exactly, they’re not exactly swimming in it and look at all of the criticism they get
Well they love the publicity so either why the good or bad they want to be in the limelight so that what politics does
Brent West Tories are a mess and they think with all drama in Brent they are going to Win a lot of seats but the new candidates who have been promised the world by a the limited knowledges newbie activists have no clue.
do they though? seems as though people like those who spend lots of time on these blogs are the ones who give them the limelight, whether they necessarily ask for it or not
Bob Blackman was the Deputy Leader, Lorber was the Leader.
They appear to deserve the criticism but don't deserve the £13K plus that they get.
Bob Blackman was Leader of Brent Council in the early 1990s. He was handed that position as a result of defections of two 'crazy' Labour Councillors. The Labour Party was always bad at selecting their Councillors and defections from Labour to Tory for pure self interest is nothing new.
What an interesting pair
Would you or any of the other snarky commenters on here do the role for that?
Anon 29 October 2025 at 12:23 What an odd comment, of course there are many that would, however, we get stuck with this load of Wannabies and Careerist, not forgetting our Lobbyists. All because the Labour Party were seen as being the best choice for the Boroughin the past, however, they have now been seen for what they are.
Many thanks for reminding us
anon comment edited to conform to guidelines: To Kenton Conservative Party Members Attending Stage 3 of Selection your candidate next week.
In the Labour Party, when sitting councillors breach standards or bring the party into disrepute, decisive action is taken—even if the individual holds senior roles like Deputy Mayor. Deselection is not taboo; it's a necessary tool to uphold integrity.
Contrast this with the troubling precedent in Brent’s Conservative ranks. A sitting councillor in Kenton [ ]was rightly deselected by the selection panel. His appeal to Conservative Central Office was rejected—yet Bob Blackman, Chairman of the 1922 Committee, intervened to override party rules and push for his reinstatement.
This is not democracy. It’s cronyism.
Your vote at Stage 3 matters. Use it to uphold the values of transparency, accountability, and genuine representation. Elect a candidate who reflects the needs, dignity, and aspirations of Kenton residents—not one shielded by political favouritism.
Let Kenton stand for integrity. Let your vote speak for the community.
Re Annon 30 October 2025 at 08:44 - totally agree. It is also interesting that several Labour Councillors and also candidates who have broken party rules have not been repremanded for that rule breaking! One rule for some and no rules for right wing loyalists
Dinners, Emails, and Allegations: Brent West Deserves Better
In Brent, we pride ourselves on community-led progress, transparent governance, and fair representation. But recent revelations have cast a troubling shadow over the Brent West Conservative Party candidate selection process.
[Uncorroborated allegation edited out]
More concerning still, a reliable source claims that Bob Blackman personally contacted members in Brent East and Brent West, urging them to email in support of Cllr Maurice.
These emails reportedly accused the Brent West selection panel—overseen by a representative from CCHQ—of corruption and collusion to vote Maurice out.
If true, these actions undermine the integrity of our democratic processes and cast doubt on the fairness of candidate selection. Kenton Ward residents deserve transparency—not backroom deals. They deserve accountability—not whispered campaigns.
This is not about party politics. It’s about principle. It’s about ensuring that every resident, every volunteer, and every candidate is treated with respect and fairness. When selection panels are accused of bias, and when MPs allegedly orchestrate pressure campaigns, we must ask: who is being served—our community, or personal ambition?
Let this be a moment to reaffirm our commitment to clean politics. Let Brent be known not for whispers in pubs, but for voices raised in unity, fairness, and truth.
Kenton deserves better, let hope Councillor who side on this backside and do nothing for their resident are chucked out by the members of the association.
One should not forget the imposition of Tatler chosen Labour candidates. Only candidates (many of whom only recently joined the Labour Party) who are acceptable to Tatler have been allowed to stand. Surely this iposition by Paracutist Tatler "undermines the integrity of our democratic processes and cast doubt on the fairness of candidate selection"
Still, not to worry, many of these imposed and retained rightwing and compliant candidates won't get elected as Brent Labour is finished.
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