Exclusive: UK’s First Hijab-Wearing Mayor To Sue Labour After Quitting Over Racism Claims
The UK’s first hijab-wearing mayor is threatening legal action against Labour after she quit the party citing racism, HuffPost UK can reveal.
Rakhia Ismail announced she was resigning after her year-long stint as Islington mayor ended last month. Writing on Twitter at the time, she described her move as an “escape” from the “oppression” of Islington Council leader Richard Watts and the “discriminatory behaviour” of some councillors.
Somalia-born Ismail, who had been a Labour councillor for eight years and now represents Holloway ward as an independent, told HuffPost UK she was pursuing a legal claim against the “dysfunctional” Labour leadership team at the council.
She is also calling for their resignation and says she was “shouted” at by a colleague for raising awareness of a knife crime issue in her area.
“I feel that they marginalised me – my voice and concerns as a Black, Muslim woman weren’t taken into consideration at any point,” she said.
“By speaking out, I want to let members of the public know what’s going on. Labour members also need to know this and scrutinise their own members. People need to be tried and tested. There should be accountability in every level, and no one should be mistreated at all.
“Above all, the leadership of Islington Council need to resign.”
Islington Labour said it was “committed to making the borough a fairer and more equal place to live” and that it had a “long history of fighting racism in all its forms”.
A spokesperson told HuffPost UK the allegations made by Ismail had been investigated and dealt with.
Following Ismail’s departure, Labour has 45 out of 48 seats on the council. She stressed her issue is with Cllr Watts and his executive team, not all councillors or the council as a whole.
She added: “The more we speak up – the more we make the change and people will realise and then all the unconscious bias will be dealt with. But if we keep quiet then we are actually supporting...
