Dear Editor,
Labour’s AGM took place on Saturday, where Cllr Muhammed Butt was elected as group leader and Cllr Gwen Grahl was elected as deputy leader.
As per Philip Grant's report on Friday, there are rumours circulating that Muhammed Butt is actively considering a deal with the Tories to form an administration. This could involve Labour being propped up, in return for committee positions or even support for the Mayor of Brent.
Rumours are that Georgia Gould, MP for Queens Park and Maida Vale (and god-daughter of Tony Blair) is a key proponent of a deal with the Tories. This is not the first time she has intervened in the internal affairs of the Brent Labour Group.
Many are wondering, is this really what Labour voters voted for in May?
A Concerned Brent Resident
“God daughter of Tony Blair”, demonstrates what we were all saying all along. Both those parties are the same. If they were socialists, they’d work with the greens. If they were social democratic, Lib Dems.
ReplyDeleteSo lets get this straight. All those Labour leaflets begging me to vote for them only for them to now install a CONSERVATIVE Mayor of Brent? Bonkers!
ReplyDeleteSo to stay in power Mo Butt is betraying all the Labour voters and supporters who have been loyally campaigning to keep the Tories out. We may have to wait until Wednesday evening and the Council AGM to know the extent this Butt/Tory deal.
DeleteBesides Butt however there are 25 other Labour Councillors. OK many of them may be Butt relatives but surely there some who still have principles and will not be willing to sell out Labour principles just so that Mo Butt can remain Leader and continue with his destruction of Brent.
Going in with the Tories is surely the only way Butt will remain Leader. I can't see the Greens accepting Butt as Leader.
ReplyDeleteSo what B*ent Labour is saying is that out of their contingent of councillors, an unsuccessful Mo Butt who led them to an embarrassing loss of majority, is the person they trust to lead them? Says a lot about the judgment and backbone of these Labour councillors.
ReplyDeleteIt will be fun to watch the Brent Tories criticise the current Labour government, while propping up a Labour administration and to watch the Brent Labour group attack the former Tory government, while inviting the Tories into bed.
You seriously gave to question the judgement of the Brent Labour Councillors who voted in Butt as their Leader again!!! Perhaps it suits them though as they can just sit back and take their allowances whilst saying yes to whatever he wants.
ReplyDeleteIf Tories do a deal with Labour to run the borough as a coalition and keep Butt as Leader of Brent Council then you surely have to question the ethics and integrity of the Tory Councillors too!!!
I am horrified to find that there is a possibility of the Labour Party in Brent going into coalition with / making some sort of pact with the Tories. Their ideology and mine (and most people I know in Labour) are a long way apart. I don't want to move in that direction. Personally it would alienate me further from the Labour Party of which I remain a member though many of my good friends have left. We are far closer in what we want to happen to the Greens. Especially in terms of Climate Change and inequality which are the two most important issues for me.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually hilarious. Butt is like a turd that won’t flush.
ReplyDeleteRemember, the Greens and the Lib Dem’s make up a 1/3 of the Council now, if they kick and scream, Brent Labour will no longer be able to ignore them anymore, and if anything, if Labour continues with it’s abysmal track record, both the tories and Labour will be out at the next election. Remember, other councils such as Ealing were Labour holds, whilst councillors may blame the government, local residents know that it is the shambolic decisions that were made locally that led to several councillors losing their seats.
ReplyDeleteWould be nice if Georgia Gould ever paid the slightest interest in the concerns of Brent residents in her constituency. Opening fetes seems to be her limitation. Acting as matchmaker between Labour Group and Tories pretty much sums up her politics.
ReplyDeleteGreens are dropping like flies: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/green-party-councillors-quit-election-costs-b1282285.html
ReplyDeleteWhy waste money on another by-election if they've stood down so quickly after a local election? Why not just give the seat to the person who came next in the vote count??? Or is that simply too logical for most councils? This would surely mean candidates are committed and properly vetted for future elections.
With less than 3% between himself and his Tory rivals in his ward of Tokynton perhaps Muhammed Butt was pressured in to doing this deal with them (and throwing the Labour group under the bus) in an attempt to save his own butt?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not! We were hoping for a coalition with the Greens! Beyond disgusted to read this.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, of course Georgia Gould would be behind it; when she was Leader of Camden she voted against a motion for a ceasefire in Gaza and was filmed tearing down pro Palestine posters. She won’t tolerate a coalition with the Greens, who are against the genocide.
That Labour would rather ally Brent with the Tories, their arch rivals, rather than with the Greens is abominable! Shows they think Greens are a bigger threat to them & they can’t have a pro-Palestine party have any power. Their party’s interests are more important than the interests of Brent and what the people of Brent want!
Totally opposed to this!
Given the Brent Conservatives propensity to split it may be that not all will support the Buttocracy, making an informal arrangement inherently unstable. Added to that are possiblitlies of defections and by-elections. Officers will be keen to deliver stability so that statutory responsibilities are fulfilled efficiently.
ReplyDelete