KATE Hollern faces a call to consider resignation as an MP after she quit the Labour front bench following allegations made about her in an employment tribunal. The 66-year-old gave up her job as shadow local government minister after being accused of trying to intimidate a colleague seeking to assist a parliamentary worker who raised allegations of sexual harassment against a former Labour MP. The Blackburn MP left the role on opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench following the comments which were made in the tribunal hearing against Mike Hill. Now Cllr John Slater, the leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Conservative group, has called on her to quit the House of Commons if the claims are true.
A FORMER councillor who was deselected ahead of this year’s local elections is calling for an investigation into a ‘campaign’ against her. Saima Afzal MBE, who was first elected as a Labour councillor for Blackburn Central in 2018 before being deselected last year, says that she was undermined and ill-treated from the start by fellow councillors in a manner that would be classed as ‘honour-based abuse’ had it happened outside of the political arena. She has said that she is not seeking another seat on the council but that the investigation is intended to get to the truth of the matter.
A FORMER councillor who was deselected ahead of this year’s local elections is calling for an investigation into a ‘campaign’ against her. Saima Afzal MBE, who was first elected as a Labour councillor for Blackburn Central in 2018 before being deselected last year, says that she was undermined and ill-treated from the start by fellow councillors in a manner that would be classed as ‘honour-based abuse’ had it happened outside of the political arena. She has said that she is not seeking another seat on the council but that the investigation is intended to get to the truth of the matter.