Haringey councillor expelled from Labour Party over offensive tweets

Calls for Joy Wallace to stand down as councillor for Fortis Green, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Haringey Civic Centre and (inset) Joy Wallace

Haringey councillor Joy Wallace is facing renewed calls to quit after being expelled from the Labour Party over offensive social media posts.

Council leader Peray Ahmet and opposition Liberal Democrats have urged Cllr Wallace to resign after she was ousted by Labour over past Twitter posts unearthed earlier this year by The Jewish Chronicle and the Lib Dems.

A Twitter account allegedly belonging to Cllr Wallace – no longer online – suggested a rabbi had been “paid and handsomely rewarded” for criticising former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Radio 4. Another post claimed members of the Labour Party expelled for alleged antisemitism were “Palestine sympathisers”.

A further Twitter post questioned then-Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Asian heritage, suggesting that her colour might be the result of the skin disease vitiligo. The tweet said: “There you go #pritipatel she does not consider her parents refugees/migrants or indeed her ENTIRE family are ethnic people… because she has straight hair and nose. Her skin might be vitiligo or a strong sunbed?!”

Posts unearthed by the Lib Dems from the same account included comments that a Jewish man criticising Jeremy Corbyn at a Board of Deputies of British Jews conference might find “the Israeli way and life is best for him”. Another post seemingly endorsed a conspiracy theory linking George Floyd’s killing to claims US police forces had learned tactics from the Israeli secret service.

Cllr Wallace was suspended by Labour in June following an initial investigation into the posts that was launched shortly after she was newly elected as Fortis Green ward councillor in May. She has not responded to requests for comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Commenting on Cllr Wallace’s expulsion from the Labour Party, Lib Dem councillor for Fortis Green Dawn Barnes called on her to “resign her seat on the council immediately”, adding that her “antisemitic and anti-Asian tweets showed that she was unfit to be a councillor”.

Cllr Barnes said: “Haringey Labour’s refusal to kick Cllr Wallace out of their group without instructions from the national party must cast doubt on their promises to our Jewish residents that they are able to trust the local Labour Party. Their lack of due diligence when selecting candidates, and the snail-like pace with which they dealt with these serious allegations, is not good enough, and Haringey Liberal Democrats will continue to call them out on their failings.”

Council leader Peray Ahmet said: “I am pleased that the Labour Party’s official investigation has resulted in the expulsion of Cllr Wallace from the Labour Party. Racism and antisemitism have no place in the Labour Party, and I want to reassure residents that any instances will be treated with the utmost seriousness.

“Cllr Wallace’s conduct shows that she is not only unfit for public office, but does not uphold the Labour values of equality, fairness, respect, and most pertinently anti-racism, for which she was elected. I hope that Cllr Wallace will understand the seriousness of her actions and immediately resign her seat on the council.”

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