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A Labour council leader who called St George's flag campaigners 'criminals' and 'nonces' has avoided a confidence vote in his authority.
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who → see → authority
Jeremy Newmark, leader of Hertsmere Council in Hertfordshire, was able to continue leading his Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition on the council after a vote to put the confidence motion on the agenda ended in a tie.
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vote → continue → tie
Parveen Rani, the council's Labour mayor, voted against the proposal – which would have approved a second confidence vote against the leader in as many years – and it failed.
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it → vote → years
Mr Newmark's administration has faced a series of blows in recent months, including allegations made against him – which were not upheld by a council standards panel – that he had called Nigerians 'crooks'.
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he → face → Nigerians
Another Labour councillor suggested the party 'start planning sites where we can't win seats' and 'take the political decision' not to go near a major development, it was also revealed.
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it → suggest → development
Chris Myers told party colleagues they should steer clear of plans for 900 homes in Potters Bar because 'we stand a fairly good chance of retaining and doubling seats' there.
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we → tell → seats
And audio leaked to the Daily Mail in June appeared to show another Labour councillor, Aaditya Kaza, admitting that members had been told how to vote on a different planning application.
The latest confidence vote came after the administration's majority evaporated following a by-election three months ago.
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majority → leak → election
Jeremy Newmark, the Labour leader of Hertsmere Council who called St George's flag campaigners 'nonces', has avoided another confidence vote in his leadership
Tabled by the council's Reform UK members, the motion also called for a 'strategic alignment administration' to run the body for the rest of its term.
But a vote to change the agenda failed after 17 members voted in favour and the same number against, necessitating the Labour mayor's casting vote.
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members → call → vote
Two Conservative councillors, who both also serve on a district council in Cambridgeshire, were absent from the meeting in Hertsmere.
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who → serve → Hertsmere
Paul Hodgson-Jones and Sarah Hodgson-Jones, both members of Huntingdonshire Council, did not attend the Hertsmere meeting.
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Jones → attend → meeting
Mr Hodgson-Jones chaired a meeting of that council's corporate governance committee on the same evening.
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Jones → chair → evening
Brett Rosehill, a Reform councillor, called their absence 'deeply disappointing'.
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Rosehill → call → absence
'Whatever our political differences, Hertsmere councillors should put Hertsmere residents first.'
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councillors → put → residents
Referring to his Reform colleague, Mr Rosehill said: 'Caroline Clapper and I turned up, made our case and were prepared to vote.
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Clapper → refer → case
'Residents can draw their own conclusions about those who chose not to be there.'
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who → draw → those
He said Mr Newmark's leadership had been 'mired in controversy' and 'something had to be done' after his administration lost its majority.
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administration → say → majority
Mr Newmark, who ran in the 2017 general election for the north London parliamentary seat of Finchley and Golders Green, faced calls to quit last year after his comments on the movement known as Operation Raise the Colours.
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who → run → Colours
He accused the group of running 'an attempt by a bunch of extremists, criminals, nonces to hijack our national flag'.
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He → accuse → flag
The remarks came days after an estimated 150,000 supporters of ex-English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson took part in a 'Unite The Kingdom' rally in London.
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supporters → come → London
Opposition councillors condemned him for allegedly 'forfeiting his integrity' and 'pushing people apart'.
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councillors → condemn → people
And in March last year, Mr Newmark claimed a Tory finance spokesman had used an 'antisemitic trope' suggesting the Labour leader 'orchestrates everything in this chamber'.
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leader → claim → chamber
Abhishek Sachdev made the remark during a speech on the council's budget for the past year.
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Sachdev → make → year
The Labour leader said Mr Sachdev's comments were 'straight out of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', referring to an antisemitic publication which falsely details a Jewish plot for global domination.
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which → say → domination
Morris Bright, the Tory leader on the council, branded Mr Newmark a 'disgrace'.
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Bright → brand → Newmark
The Labour man later said he had not suggested Mr Sachdev had 'any harmful intent' with his words, nor did he accuse him of being an antisemite.
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he → say → him
Following the outburst Mr Newmark survived a confidence motion in the same month by a single vote.
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Newmark → follow → vote
Hertsmere Council was contacted for comment.
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Council → contact → comment
The Aporia
