Corbynista firebrand Laura Pidcock shared a platform with an Imam who suggested in an “ideal society” gay people should be punished. Pidcock, who famously said she would not be friends with Tories, deemed it appropriate to speak alongside Abdul Qadeer Baksh at an Islamic Diversity Centre event in July 2013. Baksh is Chair of Luton Islamic Centre (Al-Ghuraba Mosque), which was the subject of controversy when a Sunday Times investigation linked it to Westminster Bridge terrorist Khalid Masood. Baksh said in a BBC interview that an “ideal society” there would be “punishments for homosexuals”, adding: “When I say ‘ideal society’ I mean Islamic society, not a western secular society like we live in here”. He also reportedly attacked “Jews and the Christians” for “greed, jealousy and fornication”. Here he is with Pidcock, who was a Labour councillor at the time…
Baksh was the headteacher of the Olive Tree Primary School, Luton, where Ofsted inspectors found books “promoting and condoning” stoning, lashing and execution. The inspection was ordered by then Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw after the BBC Three Counties radio broadcast. Ofsted said the probe took place because of “the publicly expressed views of a member of the school’s senior leadership team”. Mr Baksh said later: “I don’t hate gays, I don’t want them punished, I simply related punishment for homosexuality in an Islamic state.”
Guido can also reveal Pidcock was due to speak alongside Islamic preacher Abdur Raheem Green at another conference held at St James’s Park football stadium in May 2015. Newcastle United banned Green from entering the stadium after he was accused of shouting anti-Semitic abuse. A Labour peer due to be on the panel boycotted the conference. The event went ahead with Pidcock in attendance. Her office declined to comment.
The revelations come after The Sun reported Labour MPs Wes Streeting and Stephen Kinnock were set to speak at a Mend event in Parliament with other extremists. Laura Pidcock: won’t be friends with Tories, but happy to share platforms with people holding these views…
‘Better educated people voted remain’, says Labour MP @BarrySheerman. (Via @BBCLookNorth). pic.twitter.com/j3t9ecdmiC
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) 28 October 2017
Barry Sheerman reckons Labour leavers are thick…
“Nobody holding those views has a place in modern democracy” – @GwynneMP on #JaredOMara allegations pic.twitter.com/AsHvCGLziS
— Sunday with Paterson (@RidgeOnSunday) October 29, 2017
Top Shadow Cabinet member Andrew Gwynne tells Niall Paterson: “Nobody holding those views has a place in modern democracy”. Looks like O’Mara is toast…
Shami Chakrabarti discusses abuse by Labour’s Jared O’Mara but warns against @GuidoFawkes becoming Westminster’s moral compass #Peston pic.twitter.com/59muECweZ3
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) October 29, 2017
The mask slips as Shami makes clear Labour don’t want to deal with allegations that appear on Guido. Can they really say they are taking it seriously?
“That language & that tone is not acceptable” – Diane Abbott on alleged comments by suspended Labour MP Jared O’Mara https://t.co/HIdTGkUU2F pic.twitter.com/871MA7M3Zu
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 29, 2017
On Thursday night Shami Chakrabarti told Question Time Labour dealt with Jared O’Mara as soon as they became aware of the allegations last week. Diane Abbott repeated this line on Marr this morning. It isn’t true. Guido first published the O’Mara sexism stories in June, the other allegations were put to Labour last month. They knew for weeks and didn’t do anything. Labour keep saying they have a zero tolerance policy – they don’t, every party tolerates it…
In 2015 Sadiq Khan called himself an “Uber man”. Now he claims he’s never taken one. Confronted with his dishonesty by a caller on his LBC phone-in earlier, Sadiq snapped…
