'Their behaviour was a disgrace': Lib Dems slam 'farce' investigation into Labour Luton councillors' lockdown breach

The local authority received hundreds of complaints about the three - ex-mayor Tahir Malik, Waheed Akbar and Asif Masood.

This included a 6,200-signature petition calling for them to resign over a breach of lockdown restrictions.

But the outcome of an initial hearing by the council's local assessment panel yesterday (Thursday) has been savaged by the Liberal Democrats, who referred to a “Labour-Conservative alliance" attempting to "sweep the episode under the carpet”.

Liberal Democrat group leader and Barnfield councillor David Franks labelled it "a farce", saying: “All the panel was asked to do was decide whether the complaints justified further investigation.

"They bodged the job by asking for an investigation into whether the three were acting in their capacity as councillors when they went to the illegal tea party on July 21.

“Who cares whether they were there officially or not?" he asked. "Their behaviour was a disgrace.

"They have brought the whole council into disrepute and have undermined the public health message the rest of us have been trying to live up to.

“What they're saying by this mad decision is that when councillors set out to do something immoral or illegal it’s okay as long as they make it clear they aren't acting in their official role.

“And that’s not counting the fact they put other people’s lives at risk.

"Of course the complaints should be investigated and that’s all the assessment panel needed to say."

The panel makes an initial assessment on any complaint brought before it.

All councillors are guided by the elected member code of conduct.

The council's principal solicitor and deputy monitoring officer Rajesh Popat said: "It's not clear so far what the nature of the event was.

"This reference by the two councillors to it now being a prayer meeting for victims of Covid-19 is quite recent.

"It hasn't been in any of the press releases or public domain until the councillors were asked to respond."

Labour Round Green councillor Tahmina Saleem told the panel: "It's clearly a prayer meeting from the video that I watched.

"It was mainly around Covid-19 the discussion that was happening," she said.

"I would concur with those two statements that this was a form of a prayer meeting, gathered to remember those that were affected by Covid."

Conservative Bramingham councillor John Young, who chairs the panel, said: "Sometimes you have to think: 'How would it look if this was made public?'

"You have to make a judgment call. I think the mayor realised that when he resigned.

"I still feel we should provide leadership at all times. As councillors we're on duty 24/7.

"Being a councillor you have to set a moral example of what you should and shouldn't do."

Independent panel member Peter Orr said: "Where we're struggling with this is having full accounts from all of the councillors.

"There are clear deficiencies in all the evidence that we should consider."

Liberal Democrat Wigmore councillor Diane Moles said: "My concern is the number of people from different households.

"That spreads the chance of a virus going everywhere. We've a mayor and two councillors who've desperately let us down."

The panel formally requested a further investigation after the three councillors admitted breaking Covid-19 guidelines.