By Ben Kerrigan-
Labour is vehemently denying that the suspension of a council leader was a “stitch up”.
The suspension of Cllr Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council.
The suspension has led to a row among some Labour Mps who are calling for an independent complaints procedure. Athwal was one of the frontrunners to be named the Labour candidate for Ilford South, the seat of former Labour MP Mike Gapes.
An independent investigator was behind the allegations made against Athwal, who referred his findings to the National Constitutional Committee, leading to his suspension a day before the selection process. Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, took to twitter to condemn the suspension, describing the decision a politically-motivated “stitch up”.
In a statement on Twitter he said: “Many of us have been calling for an independent complaints procedure for some time because of our fears that the process can be manipulated for political reasons.
“Suspending the leader of Redbridge Council on the eve of selection on the basis of a complaint that the Labour Party has sat on for month underlines our concerns.”
Cllr Athwal said in a statement: “Untrue allegations were made against me on August 13.
“I responded in detail to the Labour Party on August 20, with supporting evidence including witness statements, proving the allegations were untrue.
“No reply was received from the Labour Party. Nothing was heard until late yesterday, my solicitor was emailed at 11pm, advising that I was suspended from the Labour Party.
“This is not a fair process. It is contrary to natural justice. All I seek is a fair hearing and due process.
“The Labour Party has had every opportunity to deal with this matter properly and fairly in the past seven weeks and chose only to act late yesterday by suspending me when I have no time to challenge that decision. This is why people are so upset.
A spokesperson for Labour Party denied the claim. “Anyone claiming this is a stitch up is dismissing extremely serious allegations against this individual.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously, which are investigated and any appropriate disciplinary action taken in line with the party’s rules and procedures.”
A Redbridge Labour spokesperson said: “It is in the interests of everyone that the Labour Party investigates the complaint in a timely and appropriate manner so that we can draw this matter to a close as soon as possible.”