Newham councillor banned from Labour party for bullying and intimidation

Obaid Khan has been banned from the Labour Party Archant

A Newham councillor has been suspended from the Labour party for three years after being found guilty of bullying, intimidation and aggressive behaviour.

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Cllr Obaid Khan, who has represented Boleyn ward since 2014, has had his Labour membership cancelled with immediate effect following a two day hearing by the party’s national constitutional committee.

He is no longer entitled to attend any Labour party meetings or to be registered as a member of the Labour group of councillors.

After the outcome of the hearing, which took place on February 25 and 26, was announced, Cllr Khan said: “I continue to deny the charges and I am taking advice on what further action is available to me.”

He added: “I do not believe that I have been subject to a fair process by any reasonable standard of natural justice in the way the Labour party has pursued the complaints made against me.”

Cllr Khan claimed that although he was suspended from the party by letter on December 8, 2015, “on the basis of unspecified complaints about my ‘behaviour towards other party members at party meetings and in email correspondence’,” he did not receive copies of the statements until January 14 this year when he was given four weeks to provide a written response.

He added that two of the three complainants failed to turn up to the hearing and could therefore not be questioned properly.

A London Labour Party spokesman said: “A hearing of the Labour party’s national constitutional committee found Cllr Khan breached three counts of the party’s rules and consequently determined he should be suspended from Labour party membership for three years.

“This hearing was followed according to the procedures set out in the Labour party rulebook and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.”

Newham Labour Group’s chief whip, Cllr Steve Brayshaw, said: “Following a long and detailed investigation by the Labour party, the charges against Cllr Khan were deemed to be of sufficient gravity to be referred to the party’s national constitutional committee.

“After a two-day hearing Cllr Khan was found guilty of all three charges - two of which involved women members.

“We are pleased with the thoroughness of the investigation into Cllr Khan’s behaviour and the outcome of the NCC deliberations. Bullying and intimidation has no place in the Labour party.”

According to the Labour party’s rulebook: “The decisions of the NCC in determining such disciplinary matters brought before it and imposing such disciplinary measures as it sees fit, shall be final.”

Cllr Khan will remain as a member of Newham Council.