News / Politics
Exclusive: Labour councillor suspended
Labour councillor Harriet Bradley has been suspended by her party, banning her from voting in the leadership election and risking the party’s majority at Bristol City Council.
Bradley, a councillor for Brislington West, said she believes she has been suspended for her attitude towards the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
In Facebook posts, the part-time UWE professor of women’s employment can be seen posing for pictures with Jeremy Corbyn and referring to the NEC as “tyrants”.
is needed now More than ever
The move comes as thousands of members have been found ineligible to vote in the leadership elections in what some Corbyn supporters have called a purge on members. The party says only 0.5 per cent of members have been banned.
A Labour Party spokesperson told Bristol24/7: “The Labour Party has a robust validation process for all votes to ensure every vote cast is eligible in keeping with the Labour Party rules. Decisions about individual members are taken by the NEC.
“Members who have been contacted by the Labour Party to confirm they are not deemed eligible to vote can contact the Party to obtain the evidence considered by the NEC.”
Bradley, who lives in Redland, was elected to Brislington West in May.
Labour took control of the council, with 37 out of 70 seats taken on the day after the election of Marvin Rees as mayor. Labour needs a minimum of 36 councillors for an overall majority.
Although Bradley has been suspended from the national party, she remains a councillor. It is up to her local party whether she has a Labour vote on council issues or not.
Bristol’s Labour Party has been contacted for comment.
Bradley’s suspension is believed to have originated from her social media posts. On Facebook her profile shows her posing with Jeremy Corbyn with a ‘Marvin for Mayor’ banner.
Above a petition calling on the NEC to “quash suspensions”, she claimed: “I am a committed Labour councillor and believe I have been suspended for expressing a negative opinion of the behaviour of the NEC.”
She has also shared petitions calling on the general secretary of the Labour Party, Iain Mcnicol, to be sacked; Corbyn to be on the leadership election ballot; Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey to be deselected; and BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg to be immediately sacked for “bias” coverage.
Bristol24/7 contacted Bradley but she was unavailable for comment.
Read more: Bristol Labour website hijacked by anti-Corbyn activists
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
