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.