Campaigners call on Hackney Mayor to resign over photograph of him partying with disgraced former councillor
Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville (far right) and Tom Dewey (far left), pictured at a party on 14 May 2022
Campaigners are calling on Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville to resign after he was pictured partying with former councillor Tom Dewey on the day he learned of the latter’s arrest.
A two-hour protest is slated for 5pm this Wednesday outside the Town Hall, and comes after Mayor Glanville was suspended by Labour last week when the photograph exposed what the party described as a “clear contradiction” in his previous account of events.
The photograph was posted on a private social media site and was taken on the evening of Saturday 14 May 2022.
That same day, Glanville had been informed by the council’s chief executive Mark Carroll that Dewey had been arrested by the National Crime Agency on 29 April.
The arrest took place at the house Dewey shared with the mayor, though it was confirmed at court that Dewey was the “sole occupant” at the time of the raid.
Dewey had been elected as a Labour councillor for De Beauvoir in early May and resigned at a meeting with the council chief executive on 16 May.
Last month, Dewey was given a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting five charges of possessing indecent images of children.
Mayor Glanville said: “Being with Tom Dewey at all on 14 May was clearly an error of judgement for which I wholeheartedly apologise.
“I was told of his arrest, but not the full extent of the charges, in a brief discussion with the council chief executive the same day.
“I shouldn’t have been at the event in which we were photographed but I did so as I feared to cancel the event, or not attend myself, may alert Tom to what I knew, during what I understood to be a live criminal case.”
He added: “This does not alter the fact that I had no involvement in the case, and shouldn’t deter from the actions, including moving out of the house the following day, as well as others I have taken since his resignation and conviction, which I have made clear in previous statements.”
Glanville had said previously that when he was told of the arrest: “I left the property that weekend and did not return to the property nor see Tom Dewey again. I returned to the property once he had left.”
Campaigners are now calling for the mayor to quit.
Hackney-based community organisation Coffee Afrik CIC said the event will be “led by concerned residents and children”.
It tweeted: “Fully support the protest.”
Another campaigner, Clair Battaglino, said she is concerned that the mayor said he did not see Dewey after he learned about the arrest.
“He should have cancelled the party,” she said. “How could you have been in a partying mood anyway?”
She called for Glanville to resign and said, alternatively, there could be a recall by residents.
The protest is expected to include speakers from several local organisations.
Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott has also called for Glanville to “consider his position”.
Hackney Greens had earlier called for an investigation into what was known about the arrest and what actions were taken by the council.
They also raised concerns about safeguarding, given the nature of the charges that Dewey later admitted to in court.
Philip Glanville was re-elected as Mayor in May 2022 with a majority of 25,676.
He first became mayor in a by-election in 2016 and was re-elected in 2018 with a 35,871 majority.
Last week, Hackney Council’s interim chief executive Dawn Carter-McDonald said: “The council is aware that the directly elected Mayor of Hackney has been suspended from the Labour Party.
“According to the council’s constitution, he remains the elected Mayor of Hackney. The council remains focused on ensuring we continue to provide the best services for our residents.”
The mayor and council have been approached for comment.
If the Labour Party treat him as they’ve treated Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott his suspension could last an awful long time.
Glanville admits he was told of the charges against Dewey the day of the party.
It’s odd that, whatever he was told was serious enough for him to move out of their shared house but not enough to not go to the party!?
Glanville is digging this hole even deeper.
Hackney Cllr, Polly Billington is Labour’s parliamentary candidate for East Thanet.
She’s been seen with Dewey and we wonder about her silence on this matter. It’s reasonable to expect all those in public office or intending to stand who worked with Dewey to make statements clarifying their knowledge of this matter.
Dewey had been arrested BUT NOT CHARGED at the time of the party.
Once upon a time people were deemed innocent until PROVEN guilty – but now any association with an arrested person seems to be political suicide. They lived in the same house for crying out loud – what was he supposed to do in your eyes.
Its Abbott who should have considered her position multiple times over the years. She is in no position to criticise.
This is very interesting as as far as I knew he and another gay man lived in a flat in the block next to The Globe pub in Morning Lane Hackney. I knew from conversations with the publican of that establishment that Glanville used to come into the pub with his live in lover who was very effeminate. If this is the same person and the same “house” then the plot thickens in terms of pedophile rings within Labour.
Where was this “house”? See my post above.
Abbott is totally without shame. She objected to Scandinavian nurses being employed at a Hackney hospital because they wouldn’t understand the needs of black people!
The insinuation that gay men are pedophiles is shameful.
It’s not, especially if it’s true.
Deep enough to bury himself I hope.
I didn’t like Jon Burke but I haven’t seen any evidence of the remark you attribute to him.
She was also not too bright!
Yes it would be except I didn’t make it. You did.
The Hackney Gazette has this to say. “Labour says the photograph is a contradiction of information previously given by Glanville to the party and press”. It goes on to say that the arrest at “The house” took place on April 29th 2022 and Glanville says that the first he knew of it was on May 14th! Not my words, The Gazette’s. Explain that away.
Look in The Hackney citizen for "Cabbage eating nazis" it provoked a demonstration of thousands outside the town each one carrying a cabbage. As for his honesty read, again in the Hackney Citizen, the reasons for his unexpected resignation (He said it was to run for the mayoralty of Liverpool where he hadn't lived for ten years) and then google Jon Burke Hackney Complaints to see the real reason he left.