A suspended Labour councillor claims her disability was used against her by Hackney Labour after she called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Hackney Post can reveal.
The allegation comes after four Labour councillors – Claudia Turbet-Delof, Penny Wrout, Clare Joseph, and Fliss Premu – had the whip removed for voting in favour of hearing a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Talking to the Post, Turbet-Delof, councillor for Victoria ward, argued it is is her “universally protected human right… to believe there is an ethnic cleansing in Palestine”.
Before her suspension, she requested a full report of the reason for her suspension made against her in an accessible format. She is partially blind – a protected disability under the Equality Act 2010.
But in a move Cllr Turbet-Delof described as “scandalous”, her request was denied, and she was forced to read the report on the spot and defend herself.
“To do this to someone who has a disability is absolutely unforgivable,” she said.
“This is my party too, and you are going to learn to respect me,” She added. “If [Hackney Labour] can do this to me, I know exactly what [it] can do to residents.”
‘Suspensions won’t stop us working’ – councillors
In a joint statement to Victoria ward residents, Cllrs Turbet-Delof, Wrout, and Joseph explained their suspensions “do not stop us from working as your local councillors, and we will continue to represent your voices”.
Cllr Turbet-Delof concluded: “But we definitely can and should condemn the killing of innocent people.” She added that she is “more determined than ever” to remain in the Labour party.
The suspensions are expected to last for two months.
The four councillors also voted to hear a motion supporting an internal investigation into how Labour handled the case of disgraced former councillor Tom Dewey.
Dewey, who was a Hackney councillor for all of 11 days in May 2022 before resigning, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of possession of indecent images of children. He was handed a 12-month suspended sentence.
Both Hackney Council and Hackney Labour Group declined to comment.
