BREAKING: Brent Deputy Mayor suspended as previous Deputy Mayor re-admitted to Labour Group

 

Results of search for Barnhill councillors

Sharp eyed readers may have spotted that Cllr Kathleen Fraser's party designation has changed overnight from Labour to Independent.

Cllr Fraser, like her predecessor, Cllr Diana Connolly, has also been removed from her role as  Deputy Mayor  and membership of committees.

She continues as a member of Full Council, albeit as an Independent rather than a member of the Labour Group.

Cllr Fraser was a popular choice as Deputy Mayor, with her experience and deep community roots seen as complementing the youth and comparative inexperience of the Mayor, Cllr Ryan Hack.

Hokey-Cokey style, Cllr  Diana Collymore, in the wake of a formal warning by a Labour NEC Panel at the conclusion of disciplinary proceures, was yesterday readmitted to the Labour Group.

Labour sources are unable to give further details of the reason for Cllr Fraser's adminstrative suspension as the investigation is ongoing and confidential to Cllr Fraser herself and the Labour Group.

This latest news undermines Labour Party members who wanted to challenge the London Region's decision to remove rank and file members from having a say in selecting candidates to fight  the 2026 council election. 

Instead, selection will be be made by assessors from outside the borough and imposed candidates are expected to be in place by the end of July. See an account on Labour Hub Brent Labour members denied the right to choose candidates as Partyapparatus takes control of council selections

 

Butt faces another probe - this time from the Labour Party

Cameron Scott, Regional Director of the East of England Labour Party, has been asked to  investigate 'serious allegations about incidents  following the death of Cllr Tayo Oladapo' to establish the facts.

Scott has been asked to undertake the investigation because London Region staff are under pressure due to the Tooting by-election and the EU Referendum.

The Labour Group has been told that there is no intention to suspend anyone and 'this investigation implies no assumption of guilt ot wrongdoing' but it has to investigate allegations that have been received.

Councillors in the Labour Group have been asked to submit 'information or evidence they understand to be relevant to the allegations about the incidents.'

Cllr Butt already faces an independent inquiry by  Richard Penn, a former local authority CEO.

Brent Labour jitters ahead of AGM

Things seem to be getting a little jittery in the Brent Labour Group of councillors ahead of their Annual General Meeting which will be held after the May 5th GLA and Kilburn elections.

One councillor had apparently threatened resignation and was then suspended by the Labour whip with London Region Labour Party getting involved. His current status is unclear.

This is a little embarrassing during a by-election in Kilburn.

Muhammed Butt is disclaiming any knowledge of what is going on and referred any concerned colleagues to London region.

Meanwhile speculation over Butt's position as leader centres on whether he will get a job with Sadiq Khan if the Labour candidate wins the London Mayoral election.

Should a challenger from within the Labour Group wait for a peaceful succession when Butt moves on, or start campaigning for a leadership challenge at the AGM  now in case Butt's job with Khan does not come off?

Cllr Pavey, deputy leader,  was open about his disgruntlement over his Human Resources inquiry LINK while Cllr Sam Stopp hinted at political pressure on planning decisions when he spoke to the Kilburn Times about the 'Twin Towers' LINK:

“There are questions to be made about who is making decisions about which planning application goes ahead. What causes the decision made at planning to be made? Is it just on the merits of the scheme or are there political angles there as well?

Although there are some fairly open critics of Cllr Butt's leadership in the Labour group, especially over his 'controlling' behaviour, I am doubtful about how much support they can gather amongst their colleagues.

There are 56 members of the group but only half a dozen or so, aside from  Cabinet members,  make much impact on Council business. They may be united as critics of Butt but do not seem to be united by any particular political ideology or programme.

Against them are the silent majority, 'Mo's people', sometimes disparagingly known as the 'puddings', who  keep a low or non-existent public profile.  They turn up at Council meetings, stumblingly read out planted questions to allow Cabinet members to preen themselves, and then vote like robots for the official line.