Labour re-suspends ex-husband of Apsana Begum after lifting suspension

The Labour Party has moved to re-suspend the ex-husband of MP Apsana Begum, after lifting the suspension of his membership earlier this week while still keeping the disciplinary case open, LabourList can exclusively reveal.

Labour sources have stressed to LabourList today that the decision to re-suspend Tower Hamlets councillor Ehtasham Haque was taken following new allegations that were not part of the initial investigation by the party.

The earlier decision to lift the suspension of Haque prompted anger from Labour women in the parliamentary party, including a frontbencher who told LabourList it was “a slap in the face for women”.

A member of Labour’s national executive committee, who also wanted to remain anonymous, described the readmission as “disgraceful” and suggested it may have been a result of political interference in the disciplinary process.

Begum, the Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, recently told a court – before she was acquitted of three counts of housing fraud – that her ex-husband Ehtasham Haque had been “controlling and coercive”.

She told Snaresbrook Crown Court in London that Haque had taken control of her finances and that a police warning for harassment had been issued after she reported his behaviour. He denies the allegations.

Haque, a councillor in Tower Hamlets, has said: “I am innocent and the allegations made against me have no basis. I look forward to any investigation or legal process to enable me to clear my name.”