Apsana Begum, who was signed off sick last month due to a “persistent campaign of misogynistic abuse,” will now face a vote by local party members regarding her eligibility to run in the upcoming general election.
A Labour member of parliament who has been signed off sick due to a “persistent campaign of misogynistic abuse” must now vote on whether she will be permitted to run in the next election.
The party confirmed that the threshold for a trigger ballot on Apsana Begum had been met, meaning that local party members can vote to keep her as their candidate or choose someone else, and a vote will now take place, despite sources close to her claiming that over 40 complaints had been submitted to Labour about the process.
Friends of Ms. Begum, who is the first member of Congress to wear a hijab, assert that local members have violated party rules to campaign for her deselection, but the party has refused to halt the vote to investigate.
One reported: “She is not opposed to facing the process; she merely desires to be treated fairly.
“It is scandalous. Why wouldn’t you stop the process and conduct an investigation?”
Ms. Begum will be automatically placed on the shortlist, according to a source. The Labour Party declined to comment on the specifics of this case.
At last year’s Labour Party conference, the leadership pushed through a rule change that increased the number of signatures required to initiate a ballot for an incumbent MP.
Ms. Begum released a statement last month stating that her doctor had given her a sick note after she was hospitalized.
She added: “I have been subjected to a sustained campaign of misogynistic abuse and harassment throughout my entire tenure as a member of parliament. As a survivor of domestic violence, it has been especially painful and challenging.
This campaign of abuse has had a substantial impact on my mental and physical health.
She urged the Labour Party to investigate complaints about the trigger ballot process, stating that it was “crucial” that they do so and take “appropriate action.”
Ms. Begum was exonerated of housing fraud after her local council took her to court a year ago.
The prosecution was brought by Tower Hamlets Council because she had failed to disclose information regarding her council housing application.
However, her defense attorney claimed that the 2019 complaint filed by her ex-brother-in-law, husband’s which prompted the investigation, was “false.”
During the court proceeding, she claimed that her ex-partner, local councilman Ehtashamul Haque, was emotionally abusive and possessive. Mr. Haque has denied every accusation made against him.
