A row about racism stopped a council meeting mid-flow this evening, with further recriminations promised.
It started with a question about a recent commitment by Brighton and Hove City Council to become an anti-racist council.
Conservative councillor Mary Mears asked why Labour councillor Nancy Platts had refused to answer questions about her former role in Jeremy Corbyn’s office when he was Labour leader.
The questions followed the publication of a critical report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission after its “Investigation into the Labour Party”.
The report found that Labour had broken equality law in its handling of complaints about anti-semitism.
Councillor Platts is not named in the report.
Green council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said that it would be “inappropriate” for him to answer Councillor Mears’s question.
But he said: “Members have said that they want to fight racism and I know that Councillor Platts is among those councillors.”
But while the public debate moved on to another topic, messages were being exchanged behind the scenes, including in the meeting’s “chatbox”.
The fomenting tensions were brought to the surface by former mayor Dee Simson. The Conservative councillor said: “Comments have been left in the chatbox which are just there to incite.
“We can all be civil to each other. It’s completely unnecessary.”
Labour councillor Nick Childs immediately held up his hand and said: “It was my comment in the chatbox about the Prime Minister.”
He had referenced Boris Johnson writing in a newspaper column that women wearing a burqa resembled bank robbers.
Councillor Childs said: “I’m happy to retract it as long as Councillor Mears retracts her libellous comment about Councillor Platts.”
Councillor Platts said that she was happy to take the matter through the council’s “standards” process, adding: “I do consider it to be a libellous comment and I’m considering legal action.”
One challenge will be the legal protection, known as privilege, attached to comments made in council meetings, although unlike MPs, who have absolute privilege in Parliament, councillors have qualified privilege.
Pantomime Time, excellence. Takes libel to a new level. ChatBox is the new Off-Stage. (p.s typo anit- para 5) ((happy Christmas btw))
Oh, no she didn’t! Oh, yes she did!
Absolutely disgraceful behaviour by those that are supposed to be running the city. Wild rumour they also called to have a debate on nuclear weapons? It really is the student council, if they could just empty the bins, keep the streets clean….
Nancy Platts refused to answer questions about her former role in Jeremy Corbyn’s office. So how can this be regarded as libellous? Why did she not just answer the questions? What has she got to hide?
The truth
It was much too much like a panto, oh yes it was, although why did they have to keep shutting down the broadcast. Surely that’s not right?
Because some of them do not want to be seen to be the hypocrites we know they are.