Labour Group throws ELN out of press conference

East London News: In a move which would have had Tony Blair’s spin doctors proud, Tower Hamlets Labour Group threw East London News out of a press conference they were holding on Monday, 21st May.

Although our representative was left standing alone on the doorstep of Tower Hamlets Labour Party offices in Cambridge Heath Road, in another sense sense, we were not alone: only Channel S, Channel I and the Janamot newspaper appeared to be indoors – which leaves several local newspapers and websites and representatives of the ethnic press excluded by Labour.

ELN had heard that there was to be a “big press conference” and, assuming it was some oversight that we had not received our own invitation, we turned up at the Labour Party office anyway.  Labour Group Deputy Leader Cllr Motin uz-Zaman (Mile End East), who was on the door, questioned our representative’s presence, but on being told our representative was from East London News he said that if we were ELN, this was a Labour Group press conference and we could attend it – and he ushered our representative in.  Our representative took a seat and watched Channel S setting up their camera and Cllr Helal Abbas Uddin (Spitalfields & Banglatown) supervising Labour Party Campaigns Officer James King setting up the banner backdrop (with no little skill, we thought).

However, James King then approached our representative and asked if we had had an invitation.  Our representative assured him that we had seen an invitation, but Mr King explained that the press conference was invite-only, and if we had not had our own invite, he would have to ask us to leave.  Our representative said that surely Mr King wasn’t leaving us with no option but to write a story about “Labour Group expels ELN from press conference”, and Mr King said he was inviting us to do exactly that.  Always happy to put the Labour Group point of view across, that is therefore what we are doing.

On the doorstep, our representative found Cllr uz-Zaman chatting with Labour Group Leader Cllr Joshua Peck (Bow West) and pointed out that by excluding us, the Labour Group had given us a story we had not come with the intent of finding.  Cllr Uz-Zaman told us that we had never contacted the Labour Group asking for information about anything.  Our representative pointed out that not only had we contacted Josh Peck about a recent story, he had replied and we had printed his comments (Cllr Peck agreed this was the case).

Cllr Peck then advised us that our stories were full of inaccuracies.  Just to be on the safe side, we asked him if these were, in the traditional Labour Party phrase “gross inaccuracies” or just “inaccuracies”, but he ignored the question and referred to ELN having carried a story “last week” that was not true.  Our representative asked him why, if he felt something was not true, he had not contacted us to make a correction.  Cllr Peck told us that he had “better things to do” – and both councillors returned to the press conference.

Cllr Motin uz-Zaman looks out to see if anyone else is coming...

Cllr Uz-Zaman made a few further appearances at the door, mobile phone to ear, looking up and down the road – but finding only East London News still on the doorstep he shut it again.  Cllr Bill “dossier” Turner (Mile End & Globetown) arrived: he also went on to open the door and shut it again.

It was then time for some ceremony.  A big, shiny, smart, black car drew up.  Out stepped the new Speaker of the Council, Cllr Rajib Ahmed (East India & Lansbury), in full ceremonial gold chain.  He strode forward and banged on the door of the Labour Party office.  He then retreated; his chauffeur helped him remove the chain and store it in the boot of the ceremonial car; and Cllr Ahmed entered the building unadorned and the chauffeur drove away – presumably leaving Cllr Ahmed to get the handy D6 back home afterwards. 

Council Speaker Cllr Rahib Ahmed knocks on the door...

Never one to leave a story, our representative spent a happy half hour sat at the nearby bus stop, until the journalists came out.  Our representative approached our colleagues and asked how the press conference had gone.  The journalists said that the Labour Group representatives had spoken generally about the events of the last few weeks, and particularly about the Chief Executive situation.  They were surprised that ELN had been excluded from what they had been told was a press conference, not an exclusive briefing.

Our representative stepped away from the group of journalists at that point.  But a couple of minutes later Cllr Helal Abbas Uddin could be seen smiling and talking to them on the pavement.  Perhaps he was discussing how good it feels to have returned to the Council now that his suspension for breaking the Councillors’ Code of Conduct is over.

ELN would have liked to have heard the Labour Group’s explanation of their actions.  The questions which we would have liked to put to them (which, sadly, will now go unanswered) include:

•why did Labour Group “whip” its members on an appointment?

•why did Cllr Peck remove himself from the Appointments Sub-Committee?

•why did Cllr Peck state at the start of the Council meeting, in front of the press and public, that he had no prejudicial interest in the appointment which would make him leave the confidential part of the meeting, but then leave the confidential part of the meeting once the public had been excluded and could not see him leaving?

•given that Cllr Peck withdrew from the Appointments Sub-Committee and the Council discussion, why was he present when the matter was discussed at the Labour Group meeting which voted to “whip” its members?

•does Labour feel it is responsible to leave the Borough without a Chief Executive, an Acting Chief Executive or an Acting Deputy Chief Executive?

•given that Labour previously voted at Council to appoint Aman Dalvi as Acting Chief Executive, on what grounds did Labour not renew this appointment and not appoint Mr Dalvi to the post (given that he was the only applicant for the post remaining)?

•has the Labour Group suspended Cllr Kosru Uddin (Mile End East) after he was arrested after the Council meeting for making violent threats against another Councillor?

•does the Labour Group believe that Cllr Kosu Uddin acted in accordance with the standards of behaviour which the Labour Group expects from a Labour Councillor and which the public expects from all Councillors?

Labour’s answer to these questions appears to be, with apologies to a favourite East Enders expression: “You got questions?  Get out of my press conference!”