Bid to oust Tower Hamlets top Tory over Channel 4 Islamism exposé

03 March 2010

Peter Golds... Labour move against him tonight

By Mike Brooke

THE ‘fall out’ from Channel 4’s controversial Monday night Dispatches documentary claiming Islamic Forum Europe is exerting influence on Town Hall politics in London’s East End is threatening tonight’s Tower Hamlets council’s £1.1 million budget meeting.

Members of the ruling Labour group are planning to table a resolution to suspend Tory Opposition leader Peter Golds after he took part in journalist Andrew Gilligan’s programme Britain’s Islamic Republic.

They accuse him of leaking confidential documents about the controversial appointment of Lutfur Ali as the £120,000-a-year assistant chief executive.

Gilligan’s programme, which heavily researched breaking news from the East London Advertiser over the past three years about the internal politics of Tower Hamlets and the power block at the Town Hall, examined Mr Ali’s qualifications and questioned his CV.

Peter Golds was a dissenting voice on the appointments panel who challenged Labour’s choice and spoke openly on the programme.

But he insisted last night: “I did not leak any documents, nor would I. This is an orchestrated campaign and totally undemocratic.”

The ‘documents’ in the programme were his own letters.

He said when approached by the Advertiser: “If you look carefully at the programme, I am reading from a letter I wrote to the Audit Commission and the Standards Board for England complaining of procedures appointing Lutfur Ali.

“I have a public duty as any councillor to undertake due diligence when someone is appointed where they’re being paid in excess of £100,000 and a massive pension exceeding the salary expectations of virtually everyone in Tower Hamlets.

“As is well known, there are extraordinary gaps and omissions in Ali’s job application. I have previously called for these to be investigated.”

Cllr Golds had heard from several councillors about moves to oust him at tonight’s meeting.

“This is ludicrous and completely undemocratic,” he added. “This is bad timing if they try to move against me at the key budget meeting.”

The programme also said projects with links to the IFE and its allies were awarded £10m from council taxes while other groups were losing out, a claim later denied in a Tower Hamlets council statement.