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A West London councillor has been suspended by the Labour Party and will now sit as an independent after he claims he was accused of working with Reform UK.
Cllr Naser Abby, former Labour councillor for Yiewsley in Hillingdon, was suspended and lost the whip on Tuesday (October 28) due to an internal party investigation. However, Cllr Abby claims he resigned prior to his suspension, and that the suspension was due to false allegations of working with Reform.
An email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS] that was sent to all Hillingdon councillors states that Cllr Abby had the whip withdrawn by Hillingdon Labour Leader, Cllr Stuart Mathers.
However, Cllr Abby provided the LDRS with a resignation letter he says he submitted to the Labour Party. The Labour Party says it has not received this letter, and that he remains a Labour Party member on its system.
In this letter, Cllr Abby says he was falsely accused of working with Reform UK, something he vehemently denies. He also claims that Hillingdon Labour has become “consumed by internal politics and personal career ambitions.”
He said: “I have been falsely accused of working with Reform UK. Let me be clear, I have never been involved with Reform, nor do I have any intention of doing so. These baseless accusations, combined with the party’s authoritarian tendencies have destroyed my trust as well as the trust of many residents who once placed their faith in Labour.”
When contacted for comment, Hillingdon Labour did not go into the details or reasons behind his suspension. A spokesperson told the LDRS: “Cllr Naser Abby has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.
“With the removal of the Group Whip, Cllr Abby will continue to vote with Labour Group but in accordance with Labour Party rules will sit as an independent.”
Cllr Abby is the sixth Hillingdon Labour councillor in four months to have either been deselected, resigned or suspended. He follows former Labour Leader Cllr Curling, Gardner and Judge, all of whom were deselected, and Cllr Farley who resigned, and Cllr Dhot who resigned post-suspension and deselection.
This comes as Hillingdon Labour struggle to find enough female candidates to stand in the 2026 local elections. The Labour Party has strict rules around gender balance in candidates.
Following his suspension, he is the only independent councillor. The Hillingdon Conservatives hold 31 seats, Hillingdon Labour hold 16 seats, and the Hayes Independent Group hold 5 seats.
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