Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A new book on Keir Starmer’s rise alleges Lambeth Deputy Leader Danny Adilypour joked about “becoming racist” while working with BAME Labour members.
Journalist Paul Holden’s book, The Fraud, describes how Starmer’s inner circle, especially Streatham and Croydon North MP Steve Reed and his Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, established and ran a network of party operators throughout South London.
Since McSweeney first started working for Reed in Lambeth Town Hall after he was elected council leader in 2006, the two have maintained a close professional and personal friendship that dates back over 20 years.
Holden’s research delves deeply into the factional politics that defined the right wing of Lambeth Labour, a group that has long been accused of using dubious techniques and brutal internal control.
In this regard, the book includes copies of claimed private correspondence between Cllr. Adilypour and a white coworker while he was employed by Labour.
According to the book, an unnamed staff member wrote:
“Today is a depressing day! I hate BAME Labour, I swear I wasn’t a racist before this job.”
To which Adilypour allegedly replied:
“Haha – I reckon there’s always been a racist within you waiting to break out.”
Later, Adilypour reportedly asked: “How are the BAME’s behaving today?” and received the reply, “Very naughty indeed.”
In further leaked comments, Adilypour allegedly called a male BAME staff member “such a dick”, and joked he would need “lots of both” wine and paneer to get through a BAME Labour reception.
Confronted with the messages, Adilypour – who describes himself as a “proud British-Asian Muslim” – issued a statement on Monday:
“These private messages from over a decade ago have been taken out of the wider context within which they were made, but nevertheless I apologise for the unprofessional nature of some of the comments made.”
Within Lambeth Council, the disclosures have rekindled long-standing worries about equality and racism.
Staff members warned that “racial tension is escalating, with devastating consequences” and accused the borough’s leadership of institutional racism, as reported by The Guardian in 2018.
A “culture of fear” was described by employees, where senior managers disregarded or punished anyone who voiced concerns about prejudice.
Adilypour has previously come under fire. Adilypour was criticized in the leaked report on antisemitism in the Labour Party for using “ableist and abusive language regarding Labour Party members.” Adilypour was once a political consultant to Tom Watson, the former deputy leader of Labour.
The position of Steve Reed, whose political career has been closely linked to McSweeney’s since their time on the Lambeth Council, is the focus of another significant thread in The Fraud.
According to the book, Reed’s impact on South London Labour politics went well beyond the borough, especially into Croydon, where he allegedly actively participated in stifling dissenting opinions.
Holden relates the story of Inside Croydon’s editor, Steven Downes, who works independently.
In 2017, Downes was a prospective councillor and an active member of the Labour Party. In order to have Downes withdrawn as a council candidate and banned from the party entirely, Reed allegedly assembled a dossier containing Inside Croydon stories and photos and presented it to the party’s Local Government Forum.
There was some controversy during Reed’s time as Lambeth Council Leader. Reed mistakenly believed that fellow Labour councillor Kingsley Abrams was leaking internal Labour material, so he gave council employees permission to check his email account while he was in charge.
Deep rifts within the local party resulted from the episode, which some saw as an abuse of power. These rifts continue to affect Lambeth politics to this day.
The Fraud depicts a close-knit, right-wing Labour group in South London that values internal control and allegiance over free discussion.
The same names keep coming up, from Lambeth Town Hall to the Westminster corridors: McSweeney, Reed, and Adilypour. They are all bound together by their strategic goals and frequently brutal style of party management.
While examining Keir Starmer’s rise to the head of the party, The Fraud also reveals the effects of Lambeth Labour’s right wing practices on the party in general, from hushed smear campaigns in the Town Hall corridors, to constructing-dossiers in Croydon, and factional group chat messages that never should have seen the light of day.
In many ways, it is an ugly mirror for a borough that used to pride itself on its ‘progressive’ reputation, suggesting that behind the shiny graphic arts, it is a borough that has an ugly truth to it.
Lambeth Town Hall maintains that it “takes equality, diversity, and inclusion very seriously,” but before launching any additional training seminars, it might want to start by looking into the Sent folders of some of its own senior colleagues, according to The Fraud.
This week, Lambeth Council is seeking locals for their opinions on racism, hate crimes, and homophobia a coincidence that may make even the Town Hall PR team cringe.
The council might wish to have a brief discussion with its own Deputy Leader before beginning yet another consultation.
What has Lambeth Council officially said about the allegation?
Lambeth Council has yet to publicly issue an official statement about the assertion that Deputy Leader Cllr Danny Adilypour allegedly stated “about becoming a racist” whilst working with BAME Labour members.
However, Lambeth Council officially endorses anti-racist work and hate crime awareness, and it reaffirmed its commitment caused in part by its “culture of tackling racial discrimination and promoting equality”. The council endorses the actions taken during National Hate Crime Awareness Week and hate crime prevention is mentioned as a strategic priority in its Safer Lambeth Partnership Strategy 2030.
Cllr Danny Adilypour’s official role as a council member, includes a portfolio for housing and investment, and is noted as a co-chair of the Equity & Justice Panel that works to embed equalities and anti-racism throughout the council.