Haringey councillor suspended by Labour after 'deport foreigners' message

An account named Sheila Peacock posted the message on WhatsApp but later said they “did not [know] where this came from”, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The WhatsApp chat and (inset) Sheila Peacock (credit Haringey Labour)

A Labour councillor in Haringey has been suspended from the party after a xenophobic message saying “all foreigners need deporting” was posted to a WhatsApp group.

Screenshots of the online chat, sent to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) by someone who was part of the group, show an account named Sheila Peacock making the remark.

However, 30 minutes later the same account sent a message saying “it was not sent by me”, “I do not [know] where this came from” and “I have never seen this posting as me it’s a mystery”.

The Whatsapp group, which had around 90 members including many councillors, was deleted soon afterwards.

Cllr Peacock has been asked to explain the remarks but has not responded. The Labour Party is now investigating what happened.

In response to a request for comment sent to Haringey’s Labour group, a spokesperson for London Labour said: “Cllr Sheila Peacock has been suspended by the Labour Party. We do not comment on any internal investigations.”

The original “foreigners need deporting” message was sent in response to a video posted by Labour councillor Mark Grosskopf on Monday, 3rd November.

In the video, which was later deleted, three pro-Palestinian Aston Villa football supporters call for Israel’s removal from FIFA. This was in the context of the controversy surrounding the Europa League match between Aston Villa and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, and whether Maccabi fans should be allowed to attend.

Independent Socialist and Green Party Alliance member Mark Blake, who the WhatsApp screenshots were shared with, said: “Haringey’s strength is its diversity – a place that people from all over the world call home.

“This [alleged] statement from a Labour councillor is deeply offensive – yet this comes as little surprise from a party whose home secretary announced measures to scapegoat and degrade migrants when only a few years ago she was advocating for amnesties and safe passages for refugees fleeing conflict.”

Despite her suspension by the party, Cllr Peacock is still listed as a Labour councillor. Prior to the suspension, she was also announced in September as a 2026 Labour candidate for South Tottenham.

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