Labour loses control of another London council after fraud charge

Labour has lost control of another London borough after a councillor charged with fraud was stripped of the party whip. The charity manages the two largest Gurdwaras – Sikh places of worship – in Southall. He was suspended from the Labour group on Tuesday, meaning the party has lost its slim majority on the town hall, holding 31 of 62 seats, Councillor Gurbachan Singh Athwal, 75, of Southall, was charged via postal requisition on Friday, September 25, following a voluntary interview in October 2025Hounslow councilThe local authority is now classed as under no overall control. Labour now controls just 11 of London’s 32 boroughs, having lost hundreds of councillor seats at the recent local elections. Before the polls, in May, the party was in charge of 21 of the capital’s town halls.Mr Athwal said: "These allegations are part of a concerted effort to defame me. I am participating fully in the process of clearing my name."To avoid any unwanted distraction, however, I fully accept the decision taken by the Labour Party for an administrative suspension for the duration of this process. "I will continue to support the Labour Party and local Labour Administration. I will continue to fulfil my council duties and do my utmost to serve the local community."Jack Emsley, the leader of Hounslow Conservatives, said the council should pause constitutional changes now Labour is running as a minority administration. He said: "Given the serious nature of the charges, it is right that Cllr Athwal has finally lost the Labour whip whilst the court case is ongoing.“Now that the council has tipped into no overall control, it is clear that Labour has no mandate to unilaterally change the council’s constitution to reduce scrutiny of what is now a minority administration, and they should now pause their attempts to do so.”Read MoreMr Athwal, 75, of Southall, is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, October 27.A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Gurbachan Singh Athwal, 75, of Southall, was charged with fraud by abuse of position following an investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan Police.“He was charged via postal requisition on Friday, 25 September following a voluntary interview in October 2025. He will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 27 October. The charges relate to a role he held as treasurer of a community organisation from 2014 to 2022.”