Labour MP 'felt pressured' after speaking out

Gavin Shuker MP says people with legitimate concerns "should be backed, not silenced"

A Labour MP has said he is "disappointed" by the party's response to concerns about the selection of female Muslim councillors.

Gavin Shuker is MP for Luton South.

He told BBC Newsnight: "In recent weeks, when I've spoken up about this issue, I felt extremely pressured to be silent on the things I know to be true."

The Labour Party said any complaints or evidence of sexism or intimidation were dealt with fairly.

Mr Shuker raised his concerns in response to claims made by the charity Muslim Women's Network UK (MWN UK) concerning the "blocking" of vocal, independent Muslim women by male members of the Labour Party who are of Pakistani heritage.

MWN UK has called for an inquiry by the party into "systematic misogyny" within Labour.

Mr Shuker says: "I've been disappointed with the response of the Labour Party.

"I would like robust action from the leadership - both from the NEC and from the leader of the Labour Party to say 'If there are these practices, we will take time to root them out.'

'Sinister elements'

"When people come forward with legitimate concerns, they should be backed, not silenced.

"This is not just a moral imperative; it's an electoral imperative. We can't carry on treating the Muslim community as fools - we need to serve up great candidates at every single level. The community knows when there are abuses of power."

Since its calls for an inquiry, MWN UK says it has heard of "sinister elements" within the party that leave women "fearing for their lives".

One Asian woman, a former Labour councillor, agreed to be interviewed by BBC Newsnight as long as her identity was kept hidden. She claimed Pakistani-heritage councillors on the English council where she served, who are still sitting councillors, regularly protect corrupt Asian businessmen.

"Zahara", a former Labour councillor, says Pakistani-heritage councillors on the English council where she served regularly protect corrupt Asian businessmen

On one occasion, "Zahara" says, the police presented councillors with a sexually explicit video as they ruled on whether to shut down a club.

She told Newsnight: "The decision ultimately should have been to close the establishment down because of inappropriate behaviours going on of a sexual nature between young white girls and Asian males that was being shown on the video.

"I was clearly told to stop questioning by a hand gesture and nudge by senior male councillors that were Asian who were sitting next to me… I was told: 'Do you know who it is? It's a very prominent Asian businessman that supports us'."

This woman claims that, on this occasion and many others, because she refused to do as these powerful councillors of Pakistani heritage demanded, they got her deselected.

When she arrived at the selection meeting, it was full of Asian people she had never seen before. "They're in the pocket of influential male councillors," she recalls.

"They were told to be there… and to vote a certain way. There were two or three young Asian males who found the courage to call me and say 'It's an absolute travesty, what happened.' I sent letters of complaint to the regional office and to head office of Labour and I was told there was no case to answer."

Misogyny claims

In some cases, the Labour Party has put individual wards into "special measures". That effectively means the selection process is taken out of local hands.

That has happened in Oldham where Arooj Shah is a councillor, though there is still resistance from some Labour members in her predominately Asian area, to a Muslim woman representing them

Cllr Shah says: "There's Labour Party members who will accept my two colleagues, Asian men, but support anyone but me. They're members of the local Labour party. They are shameless about it… It's because I'm a woman and anyone who sugar-coats it is lying."

Her ward colleagues are Muslim men and get far bigger majorities than she does. One, Cllr Shadab Qumer, described conversations he's had with local Labour members: "Some of them come up with derogatory comments, like 'Oh, she's a Muslim woman. She shouldn't be representing us.'

"Some of us have dragged them onside. We've got to integrate; where in Islam does it say a female can't represent us? It's a cultural thing, we've fought it."

Cllr Arooj Shah says some Labour members will support anyone but her because of her gender

Newsnight has spoken to other women who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions. Many talked of clan politics perpetrated by these patriarchal communities, the so-called "biraderi", imported from the south Asian subcontinent, in which votes are delivered in blocks.

Many said threats and intimidation were used to force them out of politics.

One woman said: "I was standing to be a councillor and the big man of the Asian councillors came to my house to convince my husband to get me to stop down. It was frightening… They were threatening and scaring my family into getting me to step aside."

Another said: "I complained to Labour branch but they sided with the men. These men told them they would get more votes and members for them. My life was made hell after the complaint. The aggression was too much to bear.

"I'm a single mum and was worried about my daughter's safety. These men were capable of anything. In the end, I was deselected, despite all my commitment to the party."

Complaints 'dealt with fairly'

Another ex-councillor explained how she was ousted: "I've no doubt I was deselected by Pakistani clan politics. There were around 100 people in the room. One of the local councillors had been recruiting family and friends to deselect me."

Muslim Women's Network UK (MWN UK) has written again to Jeremy Corbyn, saying it is "disappointed and unsatisfied" with Labour's response to the charity's calls for an inquiry.

In the letter, MWN UK says: "It would appear that our complaint is being tagged on to an existing Labour Party agenda item, and therefore that it is not being taken seriously and given the attention it deserves.

"The standard, lacklustre nature of the response received from the Labour Party is disappointing and undermines the women who have been brave enough to come forward and share their experiences.

"These men have become a law unto themselves," says Shaista Gohir, chair of MWN UK

"Such a response will not give women the confidence to come forward and speak to Labour Party officials in future."

MWN UK's Shaista Gohir told Newsnight: "What's worrying, these men have become a law unto themselves. That can't be in a vacuum, it's been going on for decades. Muslim men are saying to us 'We're glad you are saying what we've all known about. It just gets brushed under the carpet by senior Labour officials.'"

The Labour Party said it had been "at the forefront of the fight for women's equality".

It added: "We have transformed the representation of women in politics and championed equality for women in the workplace.

"Any complaints or evidence of sexism, intimidation, received by the Labour Party are dealt with fairly, according to our procedures and the law.

"Labour Party elected representatives are expected to maintain the highest standards of behaviour and conduct at all times.

"Any allegations of individual elected representatives whose behaviour falls short of that should be reported to the Labour Party or the appropriate authorities."

You can see more on this story on Newsnight on BBC Two at 22:30 GMT on Friday.