A local authority with a large South Asian population has found that Independent Councillor Noor Jahan Begum breached the Councillor Code of Conduct after making a series of unfounded and serious allegations against Labour Councillor Tanweer Khan â using the issue of Palestine for local political gain.
The Redbridge Council Standards Committeeâs ruling follows a detailed independent investigation and a formal public hearing. The Committee concluded that Councillor Begum misled the investigation, lied during the process, and colluded with her niece, who had submitted a separate complaint against Councillor Khan.
Both women failed to disclose their family relationship, despite living at the same address. Councillor Khan had alleged that on 10 April 2025, Councillor Begum distributed misleading leaflets against him in a local ward; that she behaved in a stalking manner outside the Ilford Islamic Centre on 18 April 2025; and that she engaged in misconduct while responding to this complaint, supporting her relativeâs complaint on the same matter.
The leaflets falsely alleged that Khan, as Chair of the Councilâs Pension Fund Committee, was not supporting the âdivestmentâ campaign relating to the Local Government Pension Scheme. They implied that he was pro-Israel, pro-Zionism, and anti-Palestine.Councillor Begum denied all allegations.
However, the Council found that on 10 April she was in her ward distributing leaflets and speaking to residents, and that she had made claims â including that Councillor Khan had behaved in a misogynistic manner â that were not supported by evidence. Regarding the allegation that she distributed leaflets outside the Ilford Islamic Centre in order to harass Khan, the Sub-committee made no findings, citing a lack of evidence that harassment had occurred.
The Sub-committee concluded that Councillor Begum made statements and allegations that were inconsistent with incontrovertible evidence. It agreed with the Investigator that she had deliberately minimised her involvement with the Redbridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign; falsely claimed she was not leafleting; downplayed her relationship with a member of the public by stating she only knew her from demonstrations, despite them being related; claimed Councillor Khan approached by car when CCTV showed he was on foot; denied delivering leaflets despite photographic evidence; and altered her statements during the investigation.
The Sub-committee found that in all these instances Councillor Begum was acting in her official capacity. She used the title of councillor when making her complaint, her conduct related to her role as a councillor when making allegations against another councillor, and she participated as an elected member in a formal process concerning alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct.The Council found that although the language used in the leaflets about Mr Khan was extremely harsh, it fell within the bounds of freedom of speech.
However, Councillor Begumâs dishonesty and her failure to act with integrity when making and supporting a complaint did breach the Code in relation to respectâbecause she made untrue claims capable of causing both personal and professional harmâand disrepute, as her dishonest behaviour brought her role and the London Borough of Redbridge into disrepute.
Her actions eroded public trust by involving a closely related witness whose relationship with her was concealed.Without offering her a right of appeal, 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 any further necessary action.
The investigation also raised concerns about the misuse of sensitive international issues to inflame local politics. Throughout the dispute, Councillor Begum portrayed Councillor Khan as aligned with pro-Israel positions, despite his long-standing, publicly documented support for Palestinian rights.Speaking after the decision, Councillor Khan said: âThe Committeeâs 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 peopleâs right to self-determination.
I was hounded and defamed.âHe added that Councillor Begum had publicly demanded that Redbridge Council divest from companies such as Amazon, yet ârecords show that her own by-election campaign was financially supported by Capumen, a recruitment company that lists Amazon as a major client.
This raises serious issues of political and moral hypocrisy.âCouncillor Begum said in a statement: âThe 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.â
