Redbridge councillor Mohammed Iqbal jailed for giving false address and later lying to police – but party’s regional office had stepped in to protect him from member complaints, despite photographic evidence submitted of his crime
Former councillor Mohammed Iqbal was jailed yesterday for 68 weeks for electoral fraud and attempting to mislead police. He was found guilty of registering a false home address in order to be eligible to stand for election to Redbridge council in 2018.
Iqbal, who lived in Barking at the time, registered an Ilford address and when police began to investigate, he encouraged a former tenant to give a false statement to police on his behalf. She has left the country and is the subject of a European Arrest Warrant. Iqbal has been ordered to repay more than £28,000 he received in expenses and election costs.
However, local Labour members say that they complained to the party over a period of months about right-winger Iqbal’s ploy – even providing photographic evidence to the party that he was making a false claim about his address. But they say that no action was taken on their complaints over a period of many months.
Worse, when the constituency party (CLP) held its meeting to choose a panel to oversee the selection of its candidate for the 2019 general election, members say that a representative of Labour’s London regional office overruled members’ objections that Iqbal should not be allowed to participate in the meeting because he didn’t live in the constituency.
In her summing up, the judge at Iqbal’s trial noted that he had joined Labour in 2007 with the ambition of becoming a councillor, then joined the Tories when that seemed a better option – and then went back to Labour after that didn’t work out.
Even after he was charged, the Labour council group’s whip was not withdrawn. Iqbal was one of the Redbridge Labour councillors who ‘circled the wagons‘ around council leader Jas Athwal, supporting him as leader of the council after Athwal was suspended over allegations of sexual harassment. The party’s case against Athwal was subsequently dropped after officials concluded that not enough evidence had been presented by Labour’s ‘GLU’ investigation team.
The Iqbal case is not the first time that Labour’s London office has protected right-wing figures, or been accused of doing so. Last July, it stepped in to fend off press enquiries sent to Haringey councillors accused of racism – even one who had already been suspended by the national party over complaints of antisemitism and threats and was therefore no longer a Labour councillor.
When further complaints of racism were made in Haringey last August, the regional office again ignored them – but the complainant was suspended because of a complaint about an old social media post he insists were doctored.
And when London MP Virendra Sharma and Ealing council head Julian Bell faced personal court action for a large unpaid bill, London Labour paid it and the associated legal costs totalling around £15,000 to get them out of trouble, without consulting the party’s National Executive Committee.
London Labour’s press office has been contacted for comment.
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Labour – rotten to the core!
Well, we are talking about a section of Labour, the Labour Right not the whole party. Or what do you mean exactly?
Words right out of my mouth ,,, 100% agree !
Those who supported him, are they guilty of aiding and abetting?
Just asking.
Hang him.
Why is it that plod (In the exceptionally seldom cases when they ARE convicted, let alone charged) politicans, bankers and nonces are all treated extremely leniently by the judiciary?
And, more to the point, WHY was stammer loathe to prosecute high-profile instances within those groups when DPP?
Is it acceptable that “a representative of Labour’s London regional office overruled members’ objections” i.e. unelected appointed office lacky overrules elected members?
Members aren’t elected. However, London Labour needs to be examined and reconfigured.
I was assuming that “when the constituency party (CLP) held its meeting to choose a panel to oversee the selection of its candidate” involved some sort of show of hands.
For me this is merely a case of: “Do as I say, not as I do…or you will be suspended.” The right wing has shown itself; as an entity, not to be the socialists they claim to be. When will Labour as a socialist political party, return to that ethos? When will the 20% of left leaning Labour MP’s finally instigate a leadership challenge? Zzzzzz….
And here lies one of the main reasons the Corrupt Right Wing Middle Classes who are really really desperate to become Elite Upper Class wanted desperately to be rid of our Incorruptible Former Leader Jeremy Corbyn, Hence the LIES from Sugar, Hodge, Philips, Berger,Blair,Brown,Campbell, Mandelson, Baldrick, BT Lippmann, and all the Front and Backbencher Backstabbers except Philips who quoted She was not a Backstabber and would happily Stab Corbyn from the front and as far as I am aware She is still in the New New Labour Party. So FFS Jeremy Raise your Standard make it known you intend to Start a New Party for All People not Just THE RICH
Keir Starmer and his Bastardised Labour Party are a Disgrace and every bit the Abomination Blair’s Party Was LETS GET THE PARTY STARTED
Why the FFS Patrick? That aside, how do you think any new party with Jeremy at the helm would be ‘received’ by the corporate MSM and the semi-corporate BBC and the Jewish newspapers and the BoD et al? Yes, all the smears and vilification and demonisation would kick off again, wouldn’t it! Have you no respect for Jeremy and all he’s been subjected to during the past six years (or your five Likers, at the time of writing!)! Are you REALLY incapable of any empathy! Would you REALLY have him be subjected to it all again?! And the very fact that he WOULD be would destroy any chance of such a party gaining much support of course.
So quit with the FFS ffs, cos yur just spouting complete and utter bollox, and anyone with even a teeny weeny semblance of reality knows what would happen in such a scenario, not least of all Jeremy himself.
Get real FFS!
Allan, I agree that nobody has any right to make demands on Jeremy – as you say he’s been through the wringer more than anyone ever – but we have the right to express hope without your presumptuous condemnation.
Nobody’s going to bully Jeremy to step back into the line of fire – but to assume or imply that his time has passed – might Jeremy not think that a touch insulting?
The PPJ seems to me a rock thrown into a pond to see what ripples it makes – a flag run up a pole to see who salutes it.
I may be wrong, you may be right, it might be all over for the left – time for Jeremy and the rest of us to kick off the Docs and put on the slippers of surrender.
But FUCK THAT, Allan.
I’m only 70, I don’t own any slippers or pyjamas and I’ve never contemplated surrender – on anything – ever.
Maybe Jeremy feels he’s not done yet?
Since WHEN did being realistic amount to ‘surrender’? Oh, right, and *I* am being presumptuous to point out the blatantly obvious! And only a black propagandist such as yourself could ‘interpret’ what I said as me ‘assuming’ or ‘implying’ that ‘his time has passed’! Talk about twisting what someone said into something completely different!
But needless to say, your WHOLE objective in ‘replying’ was to arrive at the totally specious ‘surrender’ bit.
Jeeze McNiven, yur so transparent it’s a joke!
WTF is going on…..”he had joined Labour in 2007 with the ambition of becoming a councillor, then joined the Tories when that seemed a better option – and then went back to Labour after that didn’t work out.”
Whereas other LP members were ousted for expressing support, or sharing on social media for a Green member, for instance. Definitely two laws being applied: the “them” one and the “us” one.
The scummy cult of new Labour 2.0 protecting a vile person who the locals new had commented a crime and was still protected because he was in the cult.
This shows how far so-called Labour has fallen just like the follow scumbags the Torys it protects the scum and ignore the members as usual.
Then they demand money and support after this BS and all the other sick games being played out.
We need a socialist party to vote for not this cult just because it has the same name the old ideology is dead and I can see no chance whatsoever of it ever coming back. All those that pull the stay and fight know this they just can face the harsh truth!
The right wing cancer has destroyed everything good and nobel about the party. We desperately need passionate talented socialist to form a real Labour party and that appeal and will get voted in.
As long as we don’t allow the same game playing BS to start again and tell the press to get lost when they start the same old lies and deceptions. Call them out passionately and at every time never allow them to control the narrative.
Tell the press to get lost says DG (along with the OTHER sections of the MSM who conspired in the lies and smears and deceit no doubt)! So according to DG – or so he implies – the LP wasn’t ‘passionate’ enough when it condemned the Panorama hatchet-job, and Jeremy wasn’t ‘passionate’ enough when he defended his record on combating A/S in the party the day the EHRC published it’s totally fraudulent report! And Ken Livingstone wasn’t ‘passionate’ enough whenever he tried to point out that he was alluding to an historical fact in the months after his radio interview with Vanessa Feltz!
Yeah, never allow them to control the narrative, even though DG knows they DO and will continue to do so, and no amount of ‘passion’ is going to change THAT. And DG knows it, and is just having a laugh at readers expense – ie trying to dupe and deceive them!
Twatland population labour first
Even as an ex member it makes my skin crawl to think of parasites like that in Labour.
Chris Leslie was said to have chosen between Labour and the Tories with a coin toss – unimaginable – unconscionable that he was tolerated – fucker should have been booted out on the spot.
Whatever socialist party replaces Labour is going to have to have a permanent core left wing manifesto – one that’s carefully constructed and patiently explained to prospective members and members alike until everyone fully understands and accepts heart deep the principles that underlie socialism.
Any that don’t can piss off down the road – because there is NO such animal as a political centrist.
Either you’re for redistribution, in which case you’re a socialist, or you’re Tory scum.
If you think there are two sides to the argument you’re not a centrist, you’re just a wishy-washy fucking Mavis.
And it will have to have robust and secure process of vigorous background checks into any and all candidates that stand for any of the positions of officers within its organisation.Its the only way to ensure that the bastard RW and Zionist mob don’t infiltrate the new socialists party and rot it out like it has done in Labour .
Perhaps some investigative work on those in the Regional office that stepped in to protect him is now in order ,,, follow the rot and boot them out ( hahaha what am I thinking it’s the Starmer rotten party !!! )
rob, when actions or statements opposing socialism are enough to get you canned, those with despicable old social media comments will stand out like a sore thumb.
If we’re worried about bad publicity we shouldn’t – either we’ve earned it or we haven’t completed Phase 1 – ie promised the media future jail for lying yesterday – before we get into government.
If we don’t complete Phase 1 we won’t GET into government – everything else being (un)equal.
If some prominent member turns out to have an abhorrent social media history the twat needs to be ditched, but so what? We wouldn’t defend people like that anyway.
There can be no jobs for life in a socialist party – no good is no good whoever you are.
The difficulties with “background checks” are many though – dark web, VPNs, false names etc. – and the business of digging into people’s history is a bit unsavoury.
Ask everyone applying for selection to volunteer their social media and other history and to declare any dishonourable skeletons or withdraw their application before it’s too late.
Explain that lying about yourself to gain position is enough to get you expelled anyway – because that’s not socialism, that’s the Tory way.
A party with its own secret police files on everyone isn’t socialist either so I’m against all that.
Discover a secret Quisling and you don’t blackmail it for electoral advantage or succumb to its blackmail, you tell the world and ditch the bitch whatever the consequences.
Behaving with honour and telling the truth ‘though the heavens fall’ is one of those ‘socialist principles’ we talk about.
People who aren’t truly socialists will give themselves away by their speeches or their votes or something else and we’ll ditch them.
Honesty isn’t a drawback, even in politics – if you’re above board, on top of your brief and secure in your principles you’re untouchable once the MSM is too scared of prison to lie about you.
All good stuff David and agree but there has to be some sort of initial sort out , as can be seen from the Labour party so called selection process is a bag of shite and the new party has to have some sort of gate keeping mechanism with its own checks and balances to ensure it in itself does not become corrupted .
Agreed that strong honest leadership similar to Corbyn and his principles would be a good start , tho not perfect , but what is ? Having automatic reselection is a must as an easy and effective member lead way of removing poor performing or dishonest candidates that do slip thro the net It must also ensure we don’t get the likes of Starmer types purporting to be one thing then of course resorting to type as soon as power comes their way
Any political party that supports the establishment system of patronage Royalty….Lords,knights.Unelected Privy council,private education and believes that private lives in public office means not leading by example is on the road to nowhere.The loyalty to archaic establishment system is the dowfall of the democratic socialist Labour party.Look carefully at your representation and virtually all of them come up lacking in personal responsibility and that includes the fake socialist members.Lead from the front or not at all.
I imagine that the enemy are preparing for such an occasion. It’s how they operate.
rob, in Labour today automatic reselection would be instrumental in repairing the party by ditching the right wingers – so in that sense I agree.
Imagine though the house cleaning was done and all elected persons were already dedicated socialists – having to spend a lot of time electioneering to keep one’s place would be a poor use of time and energy.
A new socialist party, being a clean start, should be constructed in such a way that anyone proving inadequate can be easily replaced – leaving no need for mandatory reselection at fixed intervals.
I’m not fit for office of any kind but if I were in a party position I wouldn’t be lobbying to stay in post – I’d be looking for others younger and more able than myself and pushing them forward to replace me.
If you’re part of a movement you believe to be crucial to the future of humankind why would you NOT want the fittest candidate for every post IN every post?
Anyone who’s motivated by personal advancement is unfit for the new kind of politics the world needs if our kind is even to deserve to survive.
I read (don’t ask me where) that Tony Blair chose which party to join based on which would allow him to rise to the top more quickly. Oh, and that Cherie had already decided to stand for selection as a Labour candidate when he threw his hat into the ring. Of course, we know which of them had to stand down — for the kids’ sake.
Not only run by a lawyer but a legal advisor to the Queen, yet seems to protect and defend lawbreakers in its own ranks? If anything tells us all we need to know about the Labour rights ethical attitude, or lack of one, this should be it.
Labour needs the left and has relied on its votes for years, yet they are making it increasingly clear that they intend to provide nothing in return. Establishing a competing party may be the better option as it was evident from turnout for Corbyn that the policies are popular. It would have to be built to constitutionally block right wing, corporatist highjacks and have a leadership with the balls to stand up to the propaganda machine that is the media but it would certainly make waves.
The US has a new grass roots party in the People’s Party. Maybe we have one built on the same lines.
The party that keeps on giving away everything and everyone that was an asset
Ban lawyers!
Cover up terrible
And is Ross Hatful still a Redbridge councillor?