Labour Councillor suspended 2 Months after being Voted In

A Labour councillor has been suspended by the party just months after being elected.

Councillor Kirat Singh represents Wednesbury South. He was suspended two months after he was voted in at the borough’s local council elections.

He was part of a new intake of candidates which Labour described as a “refreshed local team” who stood “ready to open a new and positive chapter for Sandwell”.

The reasons for Councillor Singh’s suspension have not been made public.

It is the latest issue to strike the struggling Labour group, which has been affected by controversy for years.

Claims include corruption, bullying and racism.

Speaking in April 2021 ahead of the elections, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said the “excellent, diverse group of candidates” proved that his party was “making changes” in Sandwell.

However, Labour lost nine seats to the Conservatives and has gone from one disaster to another since.

Another seat went to the Tories after Emma Henlan won the Tividale by-election.

The council’s chief executive David Stevens is set to leave, leaving the authority’s top two officer posts vacant while six other positions are held on an interim basis.

Meanwhile, the authority is the subject of an independent investigation into plans to award a £20 million school transport contract to firms run by a former employee who was named in the 2016 Wragge report into council land deals.

The scandal forced Councillor Rajbir Singh to defer the decision until internal and external investigations had been concluded.

Labour’s National Executive Committee previously launched a probe into the council’s Labour group.

It has resulted in several suspensions amid claims of national interference from elected members.

In February 2021, Manchester City Councillor Aftab Razaq was suspended by the Labour Party after he allegedly breached Covid-19 restrictions by flying to Pakistan and attending a wedding.

Photos on Facebook allegedly showed him at the wedding in the city of Kharian.

In the photos, Mr Razaq was seen apparently ignoring social distancing and not wearing a mask, even though the rules in Pakistan stated that it was mandatory.

Following the circulation of the photos, Mr Razaq was suspended.

Councillor Pat Karney, secretary of Manchester Labour, explained that he would “thoroughly investigate these matters”.

He said the Labour group had seen the photographs but “despite their best efforts”, they were not able to contact the Whalley Range councillor.

Mr Karney added: “All Manchester councillors must rigorously abide by Covid regulations and we will take action against any individual who does not.”