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
47 comments:
“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.
So 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!
Going in with the Tories is surely the only way Butt will remain Leader. I can't see the Greens accepting Butt as Leader.
So 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.
It 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.
If 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!!!
So 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.
Besides 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.
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.
This is actually hilarious. Butt is like a turd that won’t flush.
Remember, 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.
Would 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.
Greens are dropping like flies: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/green-party-councillors-quit-election-costs-b1282285.html
Why 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?
Absolutely not! We were hoping for a coalition with the Greens! Beyond disgusted to read this.
Oh 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.
Agree she is shameful MP complete waste of my vote then!!!
Except Martin (14.12) officers aren't delivering what residents want & need now. More of the same might be some kind of `stability', but not sorting out problems of delivering, monitoring contractors etc.
The mere mention of Tory Blair makes my blood boil. Converting to Catholicism thinking he will be forgiven his sins in Iraq. WMD indeed. Now interfering with Gaza. Wanting to create a Reviera with Jarred Kushner. Blair gives us all in Britain a bad name. Isn't he rich enough yet. Making money from poor peoples misery. Shame on anyone connected to Blair. Dont trust liars!!!
They’re not far apart Pam, we have all been trying to tell you all this for years
It's not what Labour voters voted for, and not what Conservative voters voted for. A curse on both their houses if that is the deal that Butt and Kansagra have done!
As the daughter of two life peers Gould is styled “The Honourable” for life.
So the shift from ‘hereditary’ peers was just about particular families then?
Absolutely, Pam.
I just assumed that the necessary coalition or agreement would be with the Greens because the two parties' hearts (and largely policies) are largely the same.
Mo: you have been and I hope will continue to be a great leader. Our politics may be quite different but you've been singularly dedicated to the borough and its residents, and I always appreciated your mastery of everything in your remit; in local government, that is the main thing for a leader, far outstripping ideology.
But getting into bed with the Tories (extraordinarily low calbre in Brent. Please don't do it.
If this happens it'll be a complete betrayal to the many who voted Conservatives, especially in wards where there were gains from Labour.
Butt is well past his sell by date, and no deal should be done with the tories. Best anyone can hope for is that the Lib Dems put forward a leader in Daniel Brown, Paul Lorber or Anton Georgiou, they have all been round the block and consistently act in the best interest of residents and the environment.
Well said Tony, shame Butt is deaf
Horrifying in the extreme, but not unexpected
The electorate voted Butt out, does he not understand that?
Anthony Molloy seemed an excellent councillor for Kilburn, one of the sadnesses amongst the results.
Its All over the news the old corrupt 2 party system. 15 years of Labour and the Butt of the joke. Time for change as all the votes for others. Lets hope it Not happening, 15 years of extra tax fines and all the government scams gas lighting.Too much to handle is it democracy?
Greens will mostly vote with Labour, so Labour will have the votes without any arrangements despite not having the overall majority.
Anthony Molloy says:
"Mo: you have been and I hope will continue to be a great leader. Our politics may be quite different but you've been singularly dedicated to the borough and its residents, and I always appreciated your mastery of everything in your remit; in local government, that is the main thing for a leader, far outstripping ideology." but we honestly CANNOT say that anyone we know in Brent agrees with this at all so assume this is a joke!!!
Residents are more embarrassed by Brent than ever before after Butt's years of mis-management and poor decisions.
Just think how different things might have been if Sunita Hirani's plot in Kenton had worked. For a few weeks Cllr Kansagra was out and had no chance to be Councillor, Tory Leader or a Mayor. He turned the tables, Hirani was dumped and the rest is history. Although the saga may still not be at an end.
Labour had a deputy in waiting to be Mayor but he lost his seat to get support to be Leader Cllr Butt probably had to do an internal deal too. So expect another Labour Mayor on Wednesday with Kansagra as the man in waiting as a Deputy.
There is a risk to this of course as 12 months is long time in politics and it will only take a few resignations, few defections and a few Labour/Tory by election losses to turn everything upside down.
Which of the principled Labour 'socialists' will be the first to make the move? I would not like to be one of the Labour Councillors turning up to a :Labour branch meeting too soon.
This Green candidate is getting a lot of comments about what Butt and Kansagra have hatched. The residents are extremely angry.
“A pro Palestine party”?
Thought they were treehuggers?
Probably paper candidates
Butt a “great leader”?! Former Cllr Molloy, such misplaced thinking is what led to you and your many colleagues being voted out from Kilburn and across Brent at the recent local elections. Clearly, the much needed period of self reflection has not begun in Brent Labour.
Yes, but if the Greens and Lib Dens don't want to work with Labour or gave unreasonable demands then the alternative is no functioning council ?
Comment edited to confirm to guidelines: BUTT must GO!! It is not healthy for any democracy to have someone like Butt desperately cling to power for so many years - 14 thus far.
The many ineffective fawning Labour councillors, many thankfully booted out but some still remaining, have also been culpable for perpetuating Butt’s scandalous persistence.
This sick system must be brought to an end with Butt’s eviction, as not only has it been hugely detrimental to Brent residents, but resulted in the unfair exclusion of better qualified residents/candidates.
BUTT, read the room! Your time is up!
The dismal performance of Labour at the local elections signalled that BRENT residents have FIRED YOU!
BRENT is BIGGER than you, BUTT, and deserves BETTER.
Butt would still influence those he allegedly placed if lost official position.
Brent Labour cannot side with the Tories .. sheer opportunism. Green/Lab/LD coalition would be far preferable to that.. Have the Greens and LD stated they won't work with Labour? Butt Out whatever happens!!
No due diligence checks were not done by Green Party so they should be paying for the by elections.
What is unreasonable about supporting the voters wish that Mo Butt is ditched as Leader of Brent Council? Labour received less than 30% of the votes so what justification is there for him to keep his job in the face of such massive Labour defeat? Brent would be a better place if he had the decency to stand aside.
That’s not the alternative at all. Ditch Butt and have positions allocated by share.,
My oh my. Just what will Tory Cllr Kansagra do in order to wear the mayoral chains? Change his name to Cllr ButtKiss?
Most of the Greenies already loath Mohammed Butt because he had them deselected prior to the recent borough elections - which is why many jumped ship and ended up wearing and, in some instances winning with, a Green rosette. It’s very unlikely that they’ll want to have anything to do with shoring up someone who dumped on them.
Surely everyone knows it was Tatler and Gould that deselected, not Butt. Most would have left anyway, several resigned as councillors and didn't defect.
The overwhelming majority of Brent wards are within Butler and Gardiner’s constituencies - not Georgia Gould’s.
Definitely NOT what I voted for on 7th May but they don't really care what we think do they? As long as they can make their shady deals and leave our streets teeming with rubbish and potholes...they are happy! Call it a single finger salute and you will not be wrong!
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