Web Desk (MNN); A local authority representing a large South Asian community has ruled that Independent Councillor Noor Jahan Begum violated the Councillor Code of Conduct by making unfounded and serious accusations against Labour Councillor Tanweer Khan, using the Palestine issue to gain political mileage at the local level.
The Redbridge Council Standards Committee reached its decision after an independent investigation and a formal public hearing. The inquiry concluded that Councillor Begum misled investigators, gave false statements, and worked in coordination with her niece, who had filed a separate complaint against Councillor Khan. Both women failed to disclose that they were related and living at the same address.
Councillor Khan had complained that on 10 April 2025, Councillor Begum distributed misleading leaflets targeting him in a local ward; behaved in a stalking manner outside the Ilford Islamic Centre on 18 April 2025; and acted improperly during the complaint process by supporting her relative’s parallel complaint.
The leaflets falsely suggested that Khan, as Chair of the Pension Fund Committee, was refusing to back the divestment campaign linked to the Local Government Pension Scheme. They also implied he was pro-Israel, pro-Zionism, and anti-Palestine.
Although Councillor Begum denied the accusations, the Council found that she had indeed been distributing leaflets and speaking to residents on 10 April, and that she made additional claims – including allegations of misogynistic behaviour by Khan – that were not supported by evidence.
However, due to insufficient evidence, the Sub-committee did not establish that she harassed Khan outside the Ilford Islamic Centre.
The Sub-committee determined that many of Councillor Begum’s statements were inconsistent with clear, verified evidence.
It accepted the Investigator’s findings that she downplayed her links to the Redbridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign; falsely denied handing out leaflets; understated her relationship with her niece; misrepresented Khan’s movements despite CCTV evidence; denied handing out leaflets even when photographs showed her doing so; and changed her statements during the inquiry.
The committee ruled that Councillor Begum was acting in her official capacity throughout. She used her councillor title in making the complaint, the allegations related to her role as an elected official, and she took part in a formal process concerning standards of conduct.
While the Council found the language used in the leaflets to be harsh, it determined that it fell within the limits of free expression.
However, Begum’s dishonesty and lack of integrity while filing and supporting a complaint breached the Code of Conduct in terms of respect and disrepute, causing potential personal and professional harm to a fellow councillor and damaging the reputation of the council. Her concealment of her relative’s involvement further eroded public trust.
Without granting an appeal process, the Committee recommended that Councillor Begum be removed from all committee roles for six months, undergo training within six weeks, and that the Monitoring Officer review any further action as required.
The investigation also raised concerns about the manipulation of sensitive international issues for local political purposes. Despite Councillor Khan’s long-standing and well-documented support for Palestinian rights, Begum portrayed him as aligned with pro-Israel positions.
After the ruling, Councillor Khan said the decision illustrated how such claims can be used to inflict reputational and personal harm. He stated that his support for Palestinian rights was public and consistent, adding that he and his family had endured months of distress.
He further noted that while Begum publicly pushed for the Council to divest from companies like Amazon, her own by-election campaign had received financial backing from Capumen, a recruitment company working with Amazon, raising questions of political and moral inconsistency.
Councillor Begum, however, rejected the findings, saying the Council had not followed due process. She claimed her complaint against Khan was not properly investigated and announced she would lodge a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman.
