The Tooting Council by-election drama continues, as it turns out it’s not just the Tory candidate that has an intriguing background. The Labour candidate is none other than a Westminster staffer facing multiple allegations of bullying, Sean Lawless. Last year, Guido reported that activist Lukey Stanger was left “in floods of tears & bereft of words” by Lawless, who is Head of Office for Tooting’s Labour MP, Rosena Allin-Khan. Stanger accused Lawless of “rank dishonesty, gutlessness & betrayal“. Lawless by name, lawless by nature…

This wasn’t our comrade’s first offence, as he was also accused of bullying another Labour councillor for Tooting, Hannah Stanislaus. The outgoing councillor, Kate Forbes, quit to work for another Tooting resident, Sadiq Khan. Her new job at City Hall has cost taxpayers the best part of £30,000 just on running the by-election. At least her partner is pleased, because her partner is… Sean Lawless. Voters head to the polls on Thursday, if they aren’t taking part in the voting strike Sean’s opponent Otto Jacobsson asked for. It’ll be a difficult choice between Citizen Otto and Lawless Sean…

Conservative candidate for Tooting Council, Otto Jacobsson, has taken on a novel approach to his campaign strategy. Instead of actually endorsing his party, he has been handing out letters urging people not to vote at all in the upcoming council by-election, writing: “You can go on temporary strike, withholding your vote.” In a rather defeatist attitude, he explains that although “the by-election can’t change who runs the council,” the voting strike “can easily change Labour’s attitude.” He doesn’t mention the fact he’s running for the Conservatives…

At least Jacobsson clarifies that he is “not another Labour careerist“. Though judging by the “Freedom for Tooting” strap, a nod to the 1970’s sitcom Citizen Smith that stars a Marxist character, he may be more than that. Communist infiltration can happen anywhere, and at all levels…