The Labour Leader of Ealing Council, Councillor Peter Mason, is once again facing questions over a series of historic social media posts where he complains about Southall residents speaking Punjabi.
Historic Posts Under Scrutiny
Historic social media posts which appear to have been posted by Peter Mason on his Facebook account - but have since been deleted - show the councillor for Southall Green implying annoyance at not understanding Punjabi. In a post made on Facebook on February 12, 2010, he said: “another meeting in southall - another round of sitting around not understanding all this punjabi.”
In another post, he refers to Birmingham as a “scum pit.” Both Southall and Birmingham are known for their diverse population, with Indian residents accounting for 45 per cent of Southall and minorities accounting for more than half of the population of Birmingham.
Mason Breaks Silence
Peter Mason has now spoken out for the first time about these posts. He faced questions over his social media posts in 2022, and was approached by another outlet, and refused to comment. MyLondon approached Cllr Mason in May, however he again refused to comment. When approached on June 16, he made his first comment on the issue since it was first raised five years ago.
He did not apologise for the posts, and explained: "These social media posts are nearly 20 years old and had been deleted many years ago. They were not serious at the time and are not how I communicate now."
Calls for Apology
He has now been urged to make amends with the Punjabi community. Joe Bhangu stood for the Ealing Community Independents Party in Southall Green. He has lived in Southall since 1965, where he moved with his family after his father served in the British Indian Army.
He said: “Peter Mason, representing the people of Ealing Borough, aged 43, must have known many of the residents originally came from Punjab. Sometimes the older people explain their problems in Punjabi as it is easier. They all speak good English as well. Without going into history, the Punjabis were invited to come and take up jobs during the 60’s after World War 2.
“He should thank them instead of giving silly comments. He has to show responsibility and respect as they put trust in his leadership. He should make amends and make another visit and reassure the residents his comments were slip of tongue or just try to communicate if he could in their language.”
Other Controversial Posts
During the local election campaign, the Mason-led Ealing Labour shared campaign posts calling on the Conservatives to withdraw support for a candidate over historic social media posts.
In addition to the above posts, Cllr Mason once joked about pushing supporters of other parties off of a cliff. He said: “You are standing on the edge of a cliff with a Tory and a Lib Dem. Who do you push off first?”
He then added: “The Tory. Business before pleasure.” All of these posts were made between 2007 and 2010, with Cllr Mason engaged within the Labour Party since at least April 2009, and politics more widely since university.
Political Fallout
In the May elections, his Labour group lost 13 seats, and his personal vote plummeted. He scraped through by 400 votes more than the aforementioned Joe Bhangu.
A spokesperson for Ealing Community Independents Party said: “There are basic standards to which public office holders in the UK are expected to adhere. These shouldn’t need writing down, but for the benefit of those who need ethical guidance, they are contained in the Nolan Principles.
“In addition, every political party has its own code of conduct and social media policy. Peter Mason’s historic comments fall well short of these principles and party rules.
“They display a lack of judgement, common decency or respect for Ealing residents. Ealing deserves a far greater level of seriousness in its local governance – not councillors playing party political games. Councillor Mason must stop trying to dodge accountability for his past ill-judged comments, self-report to the Labour Party’s own Governance and Legal Unit, and take the necessary steps to address any significant personal shortcomings constructively.”
The Labour Party were contacted for comment.
