Luton mayor's lockdown breach to be fully investigated

Labour councillors Waheed Akbar, Asif Masood and Tahir Malik apologised for their lockdown breach

A full investigation is set to be carried out by a council after its mayor broke lockdown rules.

Luton mayor Tahir Malik was pictured at a gathering in a garden, along with borough councillors Asif Masood and Waheed Akbar.

Luton Borough Council said the inquiry would start "immediately" after hundreds of complaints were lodged.

The party in July, happened just after the town was designated as an "area of intervention" by Public Health England.

Mr Malik, representing the Labour Party and has since resigned, previously said: "There is no excuse for what I did - I should have known better and I accept full responsibility for my actions."

He told the council's standards committee he had attended the gathering after being promised only six people would be there and accused the man who invited him of improper behaviour.

However, he explained that once prayers had begun, it would have been improper for him to leave.

Robin Porter, the council's chief executive, said: "The strength of feeling in the community about this issue is clear to see - we've received hundreds of complaints, many hundreds of posts on social media and a petition which has been signed by over 6,000 people.

"The standards process would usually take three months, but given the amount of public interest in this case, I would like this further investigation carried out immediately and for it to come back to the standards committee in early September for a decision."

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A Labour Party spokesman said it "investigates all complaints received and where rules have been breached, action will be taken in line with the Labour Party's rules".

The council said it has "made it clear that everyone in the town should be following both the national and local Covid-19 guidance".

A new mayor is due to be appointed on 29 September.