Manchester Labour Party has hit back furiously at claims a high-profile Muslim councillor was sacked for being outspoken - instead blaming her ‘extremely poor’ campaigning and attendance record.

Council leader Sir Richard Leese has waded into the row over the treatment of Hulme councillor Amina Lone, pointing out she last year failed to attend key council meetings for nearly six months.

Coun Lone continues to insist she has been treated unfairly, however, claiming Muslim ‘clans’ are increasingly controlling the city’s Labour politics.

The M.E.N. revealed last week how the Hulme councillor - who was also parliamentary candidate for Morecambe in 2015 - had been barred from standing for the party in Manchester again, a decision she blamed on ‘powerful’ factions within the party attempting to silence her, particularly over women’s rights in the Muslim community.

At the time both the city party and Sir Richard refused to comment.

However after Coun Lone’s departure made national headlines, both have now hit back - further fuelling an extraordinary public row.

Coun Lone was barred from standing in next year’s local elections by the city party in March, following an interview with a panel of Labour figures.

Despite his previous letter of support for Coun Lone, council leader Sir Richard Leese - in a joint statement with chief whip Suzannah Reeves - has now said that the Manchester Labour group had had to ‘report an extremely poor campaigning record and an attendance at official council meetings so bad that it almost led to a by-election’.

“Far from being picked on for her views on gender equality in Muslim communities, when Coun Lone herself stood for election in the Labour group for the position of assistant executive member, not only was she elected but the defeated candidate was both male and Muslim,” they added.

(Image: Manchester City Council)

The row is a highly unusual scenario for the very large but normally tightly-controlled Labour group on Manchester council.

Coun Lone had appealed the decision and lost, later saying she believed ‘ambitious’ figures within the party had pushed her out for being ‘outspoken’.

However city party chair Linda Priest has now also issued a statement in response to what she called ‘extensive coverage in the press and social media of the decision’, including information she said was ‘inaccurate and misleading’.

Councillors are usually allowed to stand again automatically, she said, ‘if their attendance at council meetings is adequate, and they have complied with the city party’s campaign programme in line with the contract they have signed’.

“Coun Lone did not have an adequate campaign record, even though she had been given significant leave of absence to support her candidature in Morecambe and her family commitments,” she added.

“She had a very poor attendance record for council meetings.”

That record was so bad, she claimed, that it nearly resulted in Coun Lone being kicked off the council mid-term.

“The chief executive has to remove a councillor from their position if they do not attend council meetings for six consecutive months,” she said.

“Coun Lone had virtually reached this six-month period, and special arrangements had to be made for her to attend a meeting to avoid ‘lapsing’ and the need for a by-election in Hulme.”

Mrs Priest, wife of deputy council leader Bernard Priest, acknowledged that Coun Lone had brought ‘a number of letters of support’ to her interview in March, one of which was from council leader Sir Richard Leese.

“However, the issue which led to this decision was whether or not she had fulfilled the requirements of the role,” she said.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

“Her absence meant that she had not been able to represent the electorate of Hulme or the Labour Party in Manchester.

“Coun Lone has not been ‘sacked’ or ‘deselected’ but is no longer on the panel and cannot represent Labour in the local elections in 2018.

“She remains a councillor for Hulme, continuing to receive her allowance.”

Coun Lone has been a vocal campaigner on behalf of Muslim women’s rights, particularly in the Labour party, a stance she believes lay behind the party’s decision.

Veteran activist Drew Walsh had also written to the local and regional party slamming its treatment of Coun Lone, claiming members were afraid to speak out.

“A powerful faction with leadership aspirations sees benefit in ousting a person who is listened to and who does not always agree with the leadership and with a track record of fighting for her beliefs,” he said.

But Mrs Priest also rejected that claim.

“I am proud that all our elected members feel free to air their views and being outspoken is a positive attribute and evidence of the group being confidently and comfortably made up of 95 people from very varied backgrounds,” she said.

“This ensures all views are heard, and the people of Manchester properly represented.

“At no time did any discussion take place about the extent to which Coun Lone is or is not outspoken, and factional politics played no part in the process and was not evident in any of the representations made to the interview or appeal hearings.”

The row which has developed since Ms Lone’s de-selection, follows a contentious selection process in Gorton earlier this year and as groups of councillors gear up for a potential leadership contest in the event of veteran leader Sir Richard’s departure.

In response to the party’s latest statements Coun Lone said she had been contacted privately by many councillors to ‘express their support and concern’.

“I am mature enough to admit I made a mistake over a period between April and July 2016. There were no council meetings in April and August,” she said.

“I did however - amongst other things - attend ward meetings, advice sessions, community meetings and Labour group.”

At the same time, she said, she had been working on the Remain campaign and helping her family recover from a house fire the previous year.

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“It is clear the final excuse for removing me was on rule interpretations often ignored for others whilst ignoring the contributions I made for the Labour cause over the last ten years,” she added.

Her personal experiences of what she called the ‘baradari’ system - ‘clan’ structures in the Pakistani community - operating within Labour had been backed up by other current and former councillors, she said.

“Expecting me to deny my experiences and those of many others who are afraid to come forward is indicative of a Labour party out of touch with reality,” she added.

“I maintain there are lots of brilliant people, including lots of my colleagues, in the party – sadly not enough of them hold power or are willing to hold power to account.”