Ibrahim Taguri confirms he will not stand as an Independent in Brent Central

As Brent Green Party was meeting across the road, the signage at Ibrahim Taguri's temporary campaign office in Walm Lane was being taken down last night. Earlier Ibrahim had confirmed to me that he would not be standing as an Independent in the General Election. He had anticipated a quick resolution of the allegations about donations made in the Daily Telegraph but this has not happened.

Lauren Keith was last week selected as the Liberal Democrat candidiate for Brent Central.

On March 26th the Electoral Commission made the following statement:

The Electoral Commission has today (26 March 2015) provided an update on its consideration of two separate allegations regarding donations to the Liberal Democrat Party.

Daily Telegraph allegations

Following the allegations that appeared recently on The Telegraph online (11 March) and subsequently in the newspaper regarding Ibrahim Taguri and donations to the Liberal Democrats, the Electoral Commission requested information from the newspaper, the party and Mr Taguri to help it establish the facts in the case.

Based on the information that the Commission has seen, one alleged offence centres on the potential evasion of restrictions on donations in contravention of section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). Offences under this part of PPERA are ultimately a criminal matter and fall outside of the Commission’s civil sanctioning powers.

The Electoral Commission has therefore passed the information that it has received to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The MPS have confirmed to the Commission that they are also aware of the allegations and that they are considering them.

Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ 

Following the allegations that appeared as part of Channel 4’s Dispatches programme (23 March), the Electoral Commission requested further information from the programme to help it establish the facts in the case.

Based on the information that the Commission has seen, the alleged offence in this case centres on the potential evasion of restrictions on donations in contravention of section 61 of PPERA and is ultimately a criminal matter. As a result, the Commission has also passed the information that it has received to MPS who are aware of the allegations and are considering them.

Donations received in the course of both cases

In both of these cases, the Liberal Democrat Party received a number of donations.

One donation in the Telegraph case, a cheque for £7,650 was delivered to the party. However, it had not been banked and the funds had not cleared and as a result no offence was committed under the donation rules set out in PPERA.

The other donations included one of £1,450 made by the undercover reporter in the Telegraph case that was received and accepted by the party; and another of £10,000 received from the ‘step father’ of the undercover donor in the Dispatches case, Mr Paul Wilmott. The Commission is in contact with the Liberal Democrats about the actual source of these donations and will provide a separate statement about this matter once these further facts have been established.

Next steps

Any decisions about what further steps to take at this stage in relation to potential evasion of restrictions on donations in either case rest with the Metropolitan Police Service.

Should further facts emerge in relation to The Telegraph allegations or Channel 4’s Dispatches, which could lead the Electoral Commission to consider any other potential breaches of PPERA, the Commission will do so in line with its enforcement policy.

Lib Dems select Lauren Keith to fight Brent Central

The website YourNextMP LINK has made some rapid changes today following the announcement that Lauren Keith will be the new Liberal Democrat candidate for Brent Central, she was previously listed as the 2015 candidate for Barking. She tweets at @laurenpk

Her selection as candidate follows Ibrahim Tuguri's stepping down as Liberal Democrat candidate over donation allegations. LINK  It is not clear whether Taguri will stand as an Independent.

Lauren Keith stood in the Brent local elections in May 2015 in Mapesbury ward. Result below:

Lia Colacicco	Labour	1402	15%	Elected
Ahmad Shahzad	Labour	1278	13%	Elected
Helen Ginette Carr	Liberal Democrats	1257	13%	Elected
Columbus Moloney	Labour	1241	13%	Not elected
Paul John Edgeworth	Liberal Democrats	1179	12%	Not elected
Lauren Keith	Liberal Democrats	1067	11%	Not elected
Scott Bartle	Green Party	776	8%	Not elected
Bertha Joan Joseph	Conservative	445	5%	Not elected
William Bernard McGowan	Conservative	416	4%	Not elected
Samer Ahmedali	Conservative	408	4%	Not elected

Taguri may face 'official' Liberal Democrat candidate in Brent Central following donation allegations

Taguri emphasised his 'independent' credential and distanced himself from some Lib Dem policies before the allegations broke - the sign on his  campaign office has no prominent Lib Dem 'brand'

Few would have thought from Ibrahim Taguri's confident and articulate performance at last night's Sufra election hustings that he was about to be engulfed in a media storm over allegations LINK that he had offered a fake businessman a way around declaring donations to the party.

Taguri has now resigned from the party and therefore as an official Liberal Democrat candidate while investigations take place.

In a statement to the BBC he said he would continue campaigning as an independent until his name is cleared and he is readmitted to the party. Lord Ashdown on BBC Radio 4's today programme this morning suggested that he might be opposed by an official Liberal Democrat candidate.

Clearly this would throw the Brent Central campaign wide open with the potential for a split Liberal Democrat vote producing a primary battle between Dawn Butler and the Green Party candidate Shahrar Ali.

Shahrar Ali  commenting this morning said:

This election is now even more widely open than ever imagined. At a meeting last night Dawn Butler spoke of the 'elephant in the room' which was the 'clearing of her name' regarding expenses.

Today we learn  Ibrahim Taguri is under investigation for potential impropriety over advice on electoral donations.

Standing as an independent will not help him. The people of Brent demand nothing less than confidence that their politicians know right from wrong before presuming to serve them.

We need politicians we can trust.

Sufra Foodbank Election Hustings, March 11th

From Sufra Foodbank and Kitchen

In the run up to the general election, we invite you to attend a hustings event for Brent Central on Wednesday 11 March 2015 from 6:45pm.

The event is hosted by Sufra NW London, in partnership with Mitchell Brook Primary School and St. Laurence’s Larder, and will provide an opportunity for local people, including those directly affected by food poverty, to challenge local candidates on policies affecting the future of the community.

Invited guests include:

Alan Mendoza (Conservatives)

Shahrar Ali (Green Party)

Dawn Butler (Labour Party)

Ibrahim Taguri (Liberal Democrats)

Venue: Mitchell Brook Primary School, Bridge Road, London, NW10 9BX

RSVP here.

Three Brent Central General Election candidates united in support of Stonebridge Adventure Playground

A child left this message for staff at Stonebridge Adventure Playground

 
The three candidates General Election candidates so far selected for Brent Central have all pledged support for Stonebridge Adventure Playground which is threatened with closure.

Dawn Butler,  the Labour candidate,  spoke to the local press soon after the plans were announced and has been photographed wearing the Save Stonebridge red t-shirt when she visited the site to give her support to parents and children fighting for the playground;s survival

On November 25th Green Party candidate Shahrar Ali made this statement:

The Stonebridge Adventure Playground is a shining example of what the Green Party means by the common good. For 42 years this facility has been serving three generations of residents in one of Brent's most disadvantaged areas. It is a safe place for children to play and for parents to socialise; encourages outdoor play and exercise rather than leaving children indoors hunched over a screen; and allows for creativity and risk-taking under experienced supervision. The playground is at the heart of the community and helps to keep it stable.

It appears that Brent Council is failing to acknowledge all these positives but instead is making decisions based on narrow short-termism based on accountancy rather than people.

We cannot risk the value of the Adventure Playground being recognised only when it is too late, as happened with the closure of half the borough's libraries. Brent Council must go back to the drawing board and find a way to keep the playground open and staffed, whilst also providing the extra school places and affordable housing that is needed. Any developer contributions should be earmarked for the benefit of existing Stonebridge residents and that includes the Adventure Playground.

Ibrahim Talguri wrote to the playground on December 5th:

Thank you for welcoming me to the Playground. While it was a cold, wet December night, the warmth inside the centre was immediate the moment I stepped inside.

I could instantly feel the sense of home and belonging that you have given to so many children over the last 40 years. For men and women who came here as youngsters to now bring their own children and grandchildren means that you have touched upon something truly special.

A home from home, that provides safety, kindness, and joy. I told you that I could feel the spirit of the place as being alive and vibrant with the happiness of several generations of children. 

To put it simply. Stonebridge Adventure Playground has soul. Real soul that money can’t buy or replace. That’s why I will give you my complete support in keeping this at the heart of the community for Stonebridge and for many years to come.

It is all to rare to find such treasures within London today. It is a city that change beyond recognition and at an unbelievable pace. It is so important to hold close and tight, the things that make our communities what they are.

Stonebridge Adventure Playground is a family home for a big family. Where the children play and the adults take comfort in their company together. This magic place must be protected for the generations to come.

A Conservative candidate has not yet been selected.

 During his budget speech at Full Council on Monday, Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt said:

I respect those for whom the adventure playground remains a key part of their community. I admire how people have stepped forward to say ‘this matters to me, this matters to my family.’ The reality is that we cannot continue to fund projects like this in the way we once did.

Over the last few months, we have asked those who run the adventure playground to work with us to see whether supervised play can continue on that site or be relocated. And so, we hope the adventure playground will respond to our call, to work with us for the good of the people of Stonebridge and Brent.

Brent's controversial £40 'Garden Tax' for green waste collection to be discussed by Cabinet tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon's Brent Cabinet will be discussing a proposal to charge residents £40 per year for the collection of garden green waste. At the ame time dry cycling will be collected weekly instead of fortnightly and caddy food waste will be collected weekly.

Dubbed a 'garden tax' by some there are fears that garden waste not suitable for composting will end up in the grey residual bins or dumped at the roadside.

Charging for green waste seems at odds with Labour's previous condemnation of  charging for bulk waste collections. (Read on for detailed submission by Brent Friends of the Earth)

Lib Dem's Chief Fundraiser selected for Brent Central

The official party  press releases on Ibrahim Taguri, the Liberal Democrat's chosen parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, have mentioned his background in charity fundraising. However he ended his role at Compton Fundraising Consultancy in 2009 and since then has been the Liberal Democrat's national Chief Fundraiser, raising nearly £2m in 2013. The press releases did not reveal this.

Taguri came to the attention of Channel 4's Michael Crick LINK when he found himself not so welcome a guest at the Liberal Democrat's 2011 Annual Corporate Day. 80 business people had paid £800 each to attend meetings, seminar and break-out sessions:

Among those they’ve been meeting are the junior business minister Ed Davey. And tonight 200 business people are due to attend the party’s business dinner where premium tables cost £5,000 for 10 people.

Among those I came across this afternoon were business people from tobacco companies. We get better access here than from the Department of Health, Stephen Stotesbury of Imperial Tobacco told me.

But party officials were clearly embarrassed and upset by our presence. They kept turning their backs on our camera, and eventually asked us to leave the corridor outside the hall.

One party official, Ibrahim Taguri, kept insisting it was just an opportunity to get its message across to business. We later discovered, though, that he’s the Lib Dems’ chief fundraiser.

 Taguri lived in Willesden Green and attended Latymer Upper School and Reading University. He is an avid Spurs fan and on Twitter follows the Lib Dem line of claiming that the Lib Dems have stopped Tory excesses on issues such as  young people's housing benefit, the  Human Rights Act and employment rights. He was strongly critical of the racist van campaign

After he selection he tweeted:

Delighted & humbled to be selected as Lib Dem Candidate for Brent Central where I grew up. A special place with great people Sarah Teather has been and continues to be a true champion for our community and I hope to carry on her great work.

Sarah Teather has said she will support his campaign which should make for some awkward moments on the doorstep.