Cllr Gwen Grahl, newly elected deputy leader of Brent Labour Group posted the following on Twitter earlier this evening, writing in a personal capacity.
I have today written to Labour’s NEC regarding advice received on forming an administration at Brent Council. Labour Groups should be trusted to make political decisions in the best interest of their residents.
Following the post Jake Rubin, Brent Cabinet Member for Communities, Children's Services, Employment and Climate Action tweeted his support:
I agree with this - I simply cannot understand why Labour’s NEC prevented Brent Labour Group from formal or informal agreements with the Green group in Brent, when the consequences for this were obvious
47 comments:
Shame
Labour LOST the local election. Down by 23 Councillors and less than 30% of the vote. Councillor Grahl and the other Labour Councillors were too scared to sack their Leader who led them to such a disaster.
It is hardly surprising that the Liberal Democrats refused to accept Mo Butt as Leader of Brent Council. He was rejected by residents of Brent and he should have been sacked by Labour Councillors with any common sense.
The election result came out on 8 May - why did it take Councillor Grahl (writing in her "personal capacity"?) until 21 May to write her letter - a day after Labour signed off their "stitch up" deal with the Tories by giving them a few paid positions.
Just like the Liberal Democrats - the Greens are not as stupid as the Tories. They are not willing to prop up a toxic Leader like Cllr Butt either.
Shame on Councillor Grahl for allowing Mo Butt to remain as Leader so that he can continue his destruction of Brent.
Interesting that Gwen Grahl - the Deputy Leader of Brent Council - clearly thinks that the current arrangement is not "in the best interest of....residents". Of course, as an elected councillor she - and her twenty five colleagues - could simply have ignored the NEC and done what they thought was right.
It's a hoax - surely?
She won't last as Deputy Leader long if it is not! "Personal capacity"? - is she trying to create divisions in the Labour Group already?
In the eyes of National Labour Leadership the Brent Greens are traitors and the enemy!
With Grahl rocking the boat Tatler must be having regrets at having deselected the wrong people.
So if the NEC says OK to a deal with the Greens Labour will dump the Tories?
Has anyone told the hapless Kansagra?
The Lib Dem’s didn’t refuse to work with Labour, they refused to work with Councillor Butt - quite a reasonable position given that Brent residents clearly voted for change. The Labour group could have nominated a new leader and had a LibLab arrangement but Butt’s ego is far too big to allow his brother/cousins/in-laws to take over. He was so desperate to stay in power he preferred to deal with Tories and the few Labour councillors who aren’t his relatives let him.
We see you.
Surely this is about local government rather than party politics??? Once again hard working council tax paying residents are gonna to get screwed by squabbles.
Cllr Gwen Grahl, newly elected deputy leader of Brent Labour Group, but carried by Cllr Tariq Dar in her ward
Isnt it the Liberal Democrat’s condition for working with Labour was Cllr Butt had to go?
What's that? Join the Greens who would reject most of them
Is this a hoax, or better said a joke? Another example that the Labour councillors are in so much denial because they are still unable to see that their biggest shackle is Butt! Fact is, if they had selected someone else to be their leader, offers to work with Labour would have come in from principalled parties like the Liberal Democrats. Instead, the Labour councillors willingly voted for Butt again, this evidently not vetoed against by Labour NEC! So, it is therefore rather odd that having willingly got into bed with the Tories, Cllr Ghral is now suggesting in her letter that the Tories are not the best fit for Labour! What a traitor Ghral is! Wonder what Kasangra makes of all this now?!? Fireworks for sure for the next four years! Get the popcorn out!
Who let the Grahl out?
Why didn’t they do a deal with Anton?
I'm curious as to whether there was a challenge to Butt's leadership within the Labour group this year? Did anyone stand against him and say it would be better if Butt was replaced and they could then do a deal with the LibDems rather than the Tories? What are your sources saying Martin?
Grahl is deluded, Labour did so badly at the election because they have been doing a lousy job at Brent, and the residents wanted a massive change, that's why they lost so many seats. Like Starmer Butt needs to go. Greens had nothing to do with it.
No open formal challenge as far as I have heard. There would have been informal soundings re potential candidates - probably in a fearful atmosphere. Several potential challengers were not re-elected, including of course Cllr Nerva.
The Brent situation has now been covered in national press: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-councillors-ban-green-deal-starmer-polanski-b2981746.html
She’s deleted the tweet.
just so everyone is aware the post with the letter looks like it has been deleted . Read into that what you will.
Edited comment: Right, so Gwen failed to open her mouth and challenge Butt where it counted but after seeing the outrage from residents at a LabCon coalition she decides to go public. It is simply dishonest to say they were "forced" to deal with the Tories, they had a opportunity to depose Mo and they bottled it.
Of course I would have preferred a Green/Lab coalition but if that was not on the cards Lab/Lib would at least be preferable - dealing with Tories is simply beyond the pale and residents can see through her [ ] attempt at reputation management.
Regardless, I do wonder what else she might be prepared to go public on...
Which "hard " working council tax payers?
She has been "NEC"ed! but has she been sacked yet for making Brent Labour look like a sick joke?
Mo Butt caved in to Tory demands of money paying positions as soon as the last results were declared on Friday 8 May even before he was confirmed as Labour Leader thus preventing Ghral Leadership challenge.
What has the new Labour Whip to say about Gharl's disloyal behaviour of exposing Labour to more ridicule?
Has she been the constant leak from the Labour ranks - it is amazing how much Labour confidential information is ending up in Martin Francis' hands?
It is as if Martin was that irritating green fly in all the Labour Meetings.
Ridiculous that Butt was so desperate to stay on it meant there was no chance of a Lab-LD agreement at the least.
Don't you think you should be asking who asked her to delete the tweet and the reason why?
Haha bit late after it’s been in the national press!
Is she still the Deputy Leader? The Labour Party is a joke (sick joke!)
She’s never going public on anything ever again if her deleted tweet is anything to go by!
Why on earth have Gwen and Jake deleted their X posts on this?!
Gwen and Jake’s post on this are both deleted?!!
Replying to 22 May 2026 at 19:01 Cllr Grahl's, in my view rather courageous statement, was made public by her on Twitter. No leak involved.
Councillor Grahl for Leader - even she cannot be as bad as toxic Butt.
Very good - of course you need to protect your sources.
Another harbinger of end times.
Silly comment from Jake Rubin - the consequences were NOT obvious.
1. Labour Councillors could have dumped Mo Butt - after all he is the main reason why Labour were smashed and lost 23 Councillors in the local elections
2. Labour could have accepted reality and agreed an all party Cabinet - after all through by their votes local people showed that they were opposed to a one party dictatorship.
3. Labour Councillors did not have to allow themselves to be blackmailed by the Conservatives.
We now have Labour in control of the Cabinet and decision making despite the fact that Labour received less than 30% of the votes.
I bet both Grahl and Rubin got a real bollocking from the Labour London Region for generating more bad publicity for Labour in the national press.
Fortunately it also highlights the weakness of Mo Butt who clearly is NOT in control of even his own Cabinet members. AND is too weak to sack them as their is no one of any ability left in the Labour ranks to replace them.
Is the real reason of Brent Labour s loss of overall control about the national sentiment of corruption at the centre of a Labour Central Gvernment ? More so than that related to Councillor Butt? More on Cllr Butt below
The question i raise in my mind is that if it was Brent residents' message that Brent Labour "is not working" , why was there no rainbow coalition between Conservatives (who at the local level since the deparure of Bob Blackman, are ineffectual and inoffensive, , Greens and LibDems. Should those Party Leaders not have joined up forces to neutralise Labour and investigate any alleged wrong doings by the Labour administration incl Cllr Butt by employing forensic public administration accountants or/and lawyers? More on Cllr Butt himself next....
On Councillor Butt ...could it be portrayed that since the black (afro-carobbean) leadership of Brent Council by Cllrs Merle Amory and Dorman Long, Cllr Butt s leadership (as a black- south Asian and muslim) has been so sustained with longevity, that he challenged and continues to challenge the hitherto euro-centric leadership and direction of the Council? That therefore he is under sustained attacks without anyone brining out evidence of criminality....
What an odd comment . The majority of Councillors in Brent for many years have come from a combination of black or Asian backgrounds so to suggest that there it is some mystical euro-centric opposition to Mo Butt misses the point. The majority of Brent residents want him gone because for 14 long years he presided over a Labour run Council which has turned Brent into a filthy borough with crumbling roads and pavements and failure to provide quality basic services for local people. His background is irrelevant. It is his divisive leadership and Failure after Failure after Failure that matters.
I get the gist of this thinking. My point was slightly more finessed and reflective of views among black South Asian groups : the thrust of views developing is : " If Cllr Butt was of the conduct being whispered why not expose him ?"
In the absence of any action, it remains the case that had he not been successful in retaining long and stable leadership of the Council, interest groups would not target him".
4 more years of crap
I will never vote again in local elections, what a waste of my time, to only have the same rubbish council for another 4 years, wasting our council tax on vanity projects with little or no help for the suffering residents.
But this is why you must vote and why you nust encourage your family and neighbours to vote too! Complacency it what they rely on!!!
Ask the Brent CE and the Monitoring Officer
You have all just been done over by the Tories, and all for a bit of soiled cash.
Disagree with that. Not factually correct.
have to Question why Gwen would object to this publicly but still be prepared to serve as depty and prop up Butt with the Tories.. not very principled!!
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