We, the undersigned members and Labor Councillors of the Slough Constituency Labour Party, express our profound disillusionment and anger. For over two years, since our CLP was placed into special measures by the Southeast region and the NEC, we have been systematically deprived of our democratic rights. Our ability to form, debate, and influence policies has been dismantled.
The Southeast regional board has ignored our grievances. Evidence of selection rigging, GDPR breaches, and membership abuse remains unaddressed. Instead, priority has been given to other party matters, allowing those implicated to retain senior positions and contest elections under the Labour banner. Since 1997, Slough's parliamentary seat was protected as a women-only shortlist to promote gender balance in parliament. However, in 2017, senior party members imposed Tan Dhesi, a male candidate, on us, prioritising race and ethnicity over gender. This blatant disregard for our local democratic processes has denied our CP the right to choose our representative for three consecutive General Elections.
Since October 7th, 2023, all party members have been effectively gagged, stripped of the right to use internal mechanisms to hold leadership accountable. Our CLP executives, likely driven by personal political ambitions, have failed to raise our concerns. The Labor Party's decision to support the Conservative government amidst ongoing humanitarian crises and war crimes is a shocking betrayal of our core values
The recent suspension of Faiza Shaheen and the forced deselection of Diane Abbott highlight the institutional racism within the party, as identified in the Forde report. This purging of loyal members in favour of subservient candidates reflects a party more concerned with power than principles. Slough CLP, predominantly composed of BAME members, has faced threats of deselection for speaking out against injustices in Gaza and criticising Israel. The shocking comments made by an NEC member advocating for ethnic cleansing and opposing international law have gone unpunished. Yet, this individual has been parachuted into a safe Labour seat for the upcoming General Election. Mr. Dhesi has accused Muslim community leaders of "toxifying" the town and using "baradari" culture in a rally to unify behind a single candidate. This is the same culture and community he has benefited from over the years. He has doubled down his efforts to stoke division between two religious groups to advance his own power dominion, likening Slough to India/South Asia.
The Labour Party we have dedicated over four decades to now stands unrecognisable. The party's impending victory at the next election underscores the influence of powerful lobbies over our policies, rendering our voices and values irrelevant. Having engaged with hundreds of Slough residents over the past eight months, it is clear that Labour has lost the trust of more than half the town due to local authoritarian failures. Despite this distrust, residents voted for us, believing we would be their voice in the council chamber. To honour this trust, we must remain strong, independent voices for our wards and residents.
We have exhausted every party mechanism to ensure our residents' concerns were heard at both local and national levels. In light of these insurmountable barriers, we, the rank-and-file members, are left with no option but to resign. We must stay true to our values and conscience, even if the party we once believed in has abandoned them.
- Councilor Zaffar Ajaib
- Councilor Sabia Akram
- Councillor Haqeeq Dar
- Councilor Mohammed Nazir
- Councilor Naveeda Qaseem
- Councillor Wagas Sabah
- Councilor Jamila Sabah
Councillor Sabia Akram - 07967 822124
Councillor Zaffar Ajaib - 07887 921992