‘Atrocious’: Four councillors suspended by Hackney Labour for voting to hear motions on Gaza ceasefire and Dewey investigation
L-R: Cllrs Penny Wrout, Claudia Turbet-Delof, Clare Joseph, and Fliss Premru. Photographs: Hackney Labour
Four Hackney councillors have been suspended by the local Labour party after voting in favour of hearing a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
All three Labour councillors for Victoria ward – Clare Joseph, Claudia Turbet-Delof and Penny Wrout – have had the whip removed, as well as Fliss Premru, who represents Clissold.
The suspensions kicked in on 20 February and are expected to last for two months.
In a joint statement to residents, Cllrs Joseph, Turbet-Delof and Wrout explained that their suspensions “do not stop us from working as your local councillors, and we will continue to represent your voices”.
“We remain the hard-working, committed and conscientious councillors you have known us to be,” they added.
The councillors were punished for voting to hear a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and to hear a motion supporting an internal investigation into how Labour handled the case of former councillor Tom Dewey.
Dewey spent 11 days as a Labour councillor in May 2022 before resigning. He was later handed a 12-month suspended sentence after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.
One local resident said on Twitter: “Suspending councillors for voting to hear a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire and calling for an independent investigation on how a paedophile was allowed to stand for election is atrocious.
“Hackney Labour are irredeemable. We need local change.”
The votes that led to the four councillors being suspended took place at full council last November.
A Hackney Labour spokesperson told the Citizen that “for the purposes of the council, [the suspended councillors] will continue to be treated as members of the Labour group of councillors”, and that they “continue to be members of the Labour party”.
You are wonderful, dedicated people/councillors. You will continue to have my support . You have always had the interests of the most vulnerable at heart.
Councillors should focus and do their best in assisting their lical communities. I don’t think local Councillors should get involved in motions related to wars. That should be left upto our MP’s, who represent us in Parliament.
So what exactly is wrong in wanting to have a debate on the two motions detailed above?
Anybody in their right mind wants to see a ceasefire in Gaza, both now and back in November, but the Dewey matter has been done to death and perhaps its more than time to move on, rather than waste more taxpayer money on internal vendettas. But what exactly is their punishment, as it seems that in all material effects, its business as usual.
However, in calling to hear a motion on Gaza its all rather pointless, as the situation there is not influenced in the slightest by what goes on in Hackney Council. Even the worlds superpowers can’t influence that matter. Its all gesture politics, as evidenced by a token suspension from a petty authoritarian Labour Party
So they will continue to be treated as members of the Labour Group and continue as Labour Party members. Not a Diane Abbott type of suspension then. In fact, not a suspension at all, just a sop to the Starmerites.
And why don’t Labour councillors want an investigation into the Dewey affair? Do they know something we don’t?
Well done the local Labour Party. We should keep out of contentious Foreign Policy issues at local level, as to many the differing views are hugely personal and can lead to community divisions and even violence – as we see against the Jews in Hackney. We elect MPs to deal with ‘abroad’ and have more than enough local issues to deal with via our councillors who should focus only on that and not abuse their position of elected LOCAL reps (emphasis) to dictate and push on overseas matters , the detail of which they are not privy to as Government MPs are