A prominent local activist in Brent has dramatically quit the Labour Party and joined the Liberal Democrats, alleging a 'toxic culture' and a discriminatory incident where she claims she was told she was the 'wrong ethnicity' to stand for election in her home area.
Allegations of Discriminatory Treatment
Fiona Mulaisho, a long-serving member of the Labour Queen’s Park Branch, has resigned after 25 years of membership. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that her decision followed intimidatory behaviour and a specific remark made when she previously applied to be a candidate.
Ms Mulaisho claims a senior local party figure told her that, as a black woman, she was not the right ethnicity to be elected in her local constituency of Queen's Park. "I was willing, at the time, to put the comment behind me as I very much wanted to represent the ward where I’ve lived for 25 years," she said.
From Overlooked to Defecting
Despite the alleged comment, Ms Mulaisho was later selected as a Labour candidate—but not for Queen's Park. For the upcoming local elections on 7 May, the party placed her in Kenton ward, an area where she has no local links or knowledge.
This move, coupled with being overlooked on three occasions in Queen's Park in favour of others with less community involvement, convinced her the discriminatory attitude was widespread. "I felt that Labour locally was more interested in working for the interests of its elected members than the people it represented," she stated, criticising a culture where open debate was discouraged.
A New Start with the Liberal Democrats
Ms Mulaisho, who is Chair and Co-founder of the Kensal Rise Residents’ Association, has now been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Queen's Park ward. The local Lib Dem chair, Virginia Bonham-Carter, said they were "delighted to welcome Fiona" and proud to select her for the ward where she lives and works.
Brent Labour and London Labour were approached for comment by the LDRS but did not respond before publication. This defection highlights internal tensions within local parties and raises serious questions about candidate selection processes ahead of next year's pivotal council elections.
