LONDON: A local authority with a significant South Asian community has determined that Independent Councillor Noor Jahan Begum violated the Councillor Code of Conduct after making a series of unfounded and serious accusations against Labour Councillor Tanweer Khan, using the issue of Palestine for personal political gain.
The Redbridge Council Standards Committee’s decision followed a thorough independent investigation and a public hearing. The Committee concluded that Councillor Begum misled the investigation, lied during the process, and conspired with her niece, who had filed a separate complaint against Councillor Khan. Both failed to disclose their familial connection, despite residing at the same address.
Councillor Khan had claimed that on April 10, 2025, Councillor Begum distributed misleading leaflets against him in a local ward, stalked him outside the Ilford Islamic Centre on April 18, 2025, and engaged in misconduct when responding to the complaint, supporting her relative’s complaint about the same issue. The leaflets falsely accused Khan, in his role as Chair of the Council’s Pension Fund Committee, of not supporting the “divestment” campaign related to the Local Government Pension Scheme. They implied he was pro-Israel, pro-Zionism, and anti-Palestinian.
Councillor Begum denied all the accusations. However, the Council found that on April 10, she was in her ward distributing leaflets and speaking to residents, and that she had made claims, including that Councillor Khan had behaved in a misogynistic way, that were not supported by evidence. Regarding the allegation that she distributed leaflets outside the Ilford Islamic Centre to harass Khan, the Sub-committee found no evidence of harassment.
The Sub-committee concluded that Councillor Begum made statements and allegations inconsistent with clear evidence. They agreed with the Investigator that she had deliberately minimized her involvement with the Redbridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign, falsely claimed she was not distributing leaflets, downplayed her relationship with a member of the public by stating she only knew her from protests, despite being related, claimed Councillor Khan had approached her by car when CCTV footage showed he was walking, denied distributing leaflets despite photographic proof, and altered her statements during the investigation.
The Sub-committee determined that Councillor Begum acted in her official capacity during these instances. She used her title as councillor when filing the complaint, her actions related to her role as a councillor when accusing another councillor, and she participated as an elected member in a formal process regarding alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.
While the language in the leaflets about Councillor Khan was extremely harsh, the Council found it was within the bounds of freedom of speech. However, Councillor Begum’s dishonesty and failure to act with integrity when making and supporting the complaint violated the Code concerning respect—because her false claims could cause personal and professional harm—and disrepute, as her dishonest actions brought both her role and the London Borough of Redbridge into disrepute. Her behavior undermined public trust by involving a closely related witness whose relationship with her was hidden.
The Committee recommended that Councillor Begum be removed from all committees for six months, attend training arranged by the Monitoring Officer within six weeks, and that the Monitoring Officer consider further necessary actions, without offering her the right to appeal.
The investigation also raised concerns about the use of sensitive international issues to stir local political tensions. Throughout the dispute, Councillor Begum depicted Councillor Khan as aligning with pro-Israel views, despite his long-standing public support for Palestinian rights.
After the decision, Councillor Khan commented: “The Committee’s ruling highlights how such claims can be weaponised to cause reputational and personal harm. My record on Palestinian rights is clear and a matter of public record. What my family and I have endured over these months has been deeply distressing, but I am grateful that the truth has now been established. I have supported the cause of Palestine all my life and I will always stand by the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. I was hounded and defamed.”
He further pointed out that Councillor Begum had publicly called for Redbridge Council to divest from companies like Amazon, yet records showed that her own by-election campaign had received financial backing from Capumen, a recruitment firm with Amazon as a major client. This raised concerns about political and moral hypocrisy.
Councillor Begum responded in a statement: “The Council did not follow due process. They failed to correctly investigate my complaint against Mr Khan and have publicly censured me for making a retaliatory complaint. I strongly disagree and will be making a complaint to the Local Govt Ombudsman.”
