Hounslow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour suspends Hounslow councillor Hina Mir after revelations she employed an illegal worker at her home, prompting an internal party investigation.
Councillor Hina Mir, a former deputy mayor of Hounslow, recently attempted to get a county court fine of £40,000 for hiring an illegal worker overturned. The judge denied her attempt to appeal this fine.
Despite Hounslow Labour’s obvious knowledge of the decision against her, Cllr Mir continued to serve as a Labour councillor and was even re-elected for the 2026 elections. She was also appointed Chair of the Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel.
According to reports, Cllr Mir, a licensed solicitor, gave the student $1,000 in hand to take care of her kids and do housework. Cllr Mir was compelled to pay the £40,000 fine and £3,620 in court costs after an unsuccessful appeal at City of London County Court.
Conservative Councillor Jack Emlsey claimed this is more evidence of double standards in Hounslow Labour. He said:
“She should’ve been suspended when the ruling was made in January, it is a serious offence and she should have been suspended pending an investigation.
It beggars belief that she was then re-selected for the elections. They knew that she had [a judgement made against her] in January, and in May this year they put her forward for Chair of the Environment and Scrutiny Panel…
So knowing what they did about what she’d [had a judgement against her] in January, put aside the fact they’ve only now suspended her, had they re-selected her and put her forward for such a serious scrutiny position? I think Hounslow Labour has a lot of questions to answer.”
This occurs at a time when Hounslow Labour is being questioned more and more about the behavior of its council members. Cllr. Mir was discovered to have parked in a disability bay at the council headquarters without a blue badge two weeks ago. Although Hounslow Labour earlier stated it was looking into the situation, she has not replied to demands for comment on this.
Cllr. Farhaan Rehman apologized, resigned from one of his positions, and offered to donate to charity after it was discovered that he had parked his Lamborghini in a disabled bay without a blue badge in November.
The topic of whether Cllr. Rehman ought to have disclosed that he was a director of three businesses while serving as Chair of the Licensing Panel has since been raised.
Although Hounslow Council is reportedly investigating an official complaint over it, Hounslow Labour maintains that he was not required to register it.
Hounslow Labour was questioned by the Local Democracy Reporting Service about why Cllr. Mir continued to serve as a Labour council member following the ruling against her.
A spokesperson for Hounslow Labour said:
“Cllr Hina Mir has been suspended by the Labour Party. We do not comment on any internal investigations.”
Only Cllr. Mir’s membership in the Labour Party is subject to suspension. She continues to serve as a council member.
Cllr. Mir and Hounslow Council were also contacted, but as of the time of publication, neither had replied.
What are the specific allegations against Hina Mir in the court ruling?
Hounslow Councillor Hina Mir faced specific allegations in the City of London County Court ruling of employing Himanshi Gongley, a 22- year-old Indian person whose visa had expired in March 2023, as an undocumented full- time nurse in breach of UK immigration laws.
The court set up Mir paid Gongley £1,200 yearly in cash for 24/6 on- call childcare for her two children, rejecting Mir’s claim that Gongley was simply a” social caller” who played videotape games and helped sometimes; Judge Stephen Hellman cited inconsistencies in Mir’s substantiation, thinking Gongley’s detailed evidence believable.
Gongley contended physical abuse and feeling” suicidal” after flagging down police in August 2024, describing exploitative conditions; while Mir’s defense called it fabricated for immigration gain, the judge set up no validation for redundancy and upheld the £40,000 fine plus costs.
