Tears, anger, insults and ‘unbecoming gestures’  – the heated North Northamptonshire Council meeting that descended into uproar

After a routine scrutiny report was discussed at North Northamptonshire Council’s full council meeting, Cllr Zoe McGhee’s (Lab, Kingswood) comment prompted Cllr King Lawal (Cons, Queensway), the Tory chair of the health scrutiny committee, to say her resignation from that committee in January was ‘fantastic’ and ‘we've done better without you’.

Cllr McGhee had resigned her place under his chairmanship after branding Christian Cllr Lawal a ‘bigot’ when he tweeted his view that those involved in pride should ‘repent’.

Addressing Cllr McGhee, he said: “We wholeheartedly accepted your resignation. It was a fantastic resignation, and we've done better without you thank you very much.”

After chair Cllr Lora Lawman (Cons, Earls Barton) repeatedly banged her gavel in an attempt to restore order to the meeting, Labour members began to barrack Cllr Lawal. Eventually Cllr McGhee was allowed to respond.

She said: “I did the right thing by our residents (resigning from the committee). I want a point of clarification by what you mean by that – it's incredibly disgusting.”

Cllr Lawal said: “When you resigned, I think you used the terminology 'bigot' towards me and you resigned in a way that was unprofessional in my view.”

Drowned out by further interruptions, Labour members continued to barrack Cllr Lawal. The uproar so great that NNC chairman Cllr Lawman adjourned the meeting.

As proceedings were suspended, veteran Corby councillor Willie Colquhoun (Lab, Lloyds) continued to shout across the chamber calling him a ‘bigot’ and a ‘homophobe’.

Livestream video clearly showed Cllr Lawal using an open-armed beckoning stance, as he gestured and said ‘Come over here and say that’ to Cllr Colquhoun.

As Labour members left the chamber, leader Cllr Jason Smithers (Cons, Oundle) was seen talking to Cllr Lawal in the break.

Restarting the meeting, CllrLawman urged members to be ‘civil to each other’ saying ‘the personal attacks on each another have got to stop’. Cllr Colquhoun said: “I'd like to apologise to the council for my outburst. It was just a bit of frustration more than anything else. I'm very proud to be a councillor. Hopefully it won't happen again. But I hope also that Cllr Lawal will be big enough to apologise.”

Cllr Lawal said: “If I caused any hurt or offence, I completely withdraw my remark.”

Following the meeting, a statement from the Labour group said: “Cllr Lawal was using very aggressive and intimidating body language gesturing for a fight, in response to the opposition’s protests. This bullying and intimidating behaviour is unacceptable from a councillor.”

And Cllr McGhee said: “Cllr Lawal is yet to be held accountable for tweets and further statements that displayed blatant and unapologetic homophobia. The actions of the Conservative Party in this go way beyond acceptance; promoting this man shows direct support for his views and behaviour.

"Last night I explained my decision to step down from health scrutiny, as I question how our health agenda can be governed fairly and authentically by the current chair.

“Cllr Lawal took it upon himself to make personal and aggressive remarks, which led to the Labour group leaving the chamber. How on earth are we meant to have faith in this council when even the basic principles of public life do not seem to apply? Cllr Lawal should and will be held accountable for his actions, even if only by the Labour group.

"I am sure the rest of the county, and the country, are listening. Our residents, and I hope those from the LBGTQ+ community, know who is on their side.”

This morning (Friday, August 30) Cllr Lawal claimed his gestures were because he couldn’t hear.

He said: “The reason for my gesturing was purely in response to the extremely loud noise emanating from the Labour benches, along with the barrage of insults directed at me by members on that side.

“I caught the words by Cllr Colquhoun and others using derogatory terms such as ‘bigot’ and ‘homophobe,’ among other insults, which are not in line with the collegial traditions of the council chamber and its proceedings.

"Given the difficulty in hearing amidst the noise, I gestured to indicate that I could not fully hear what was being said. It was not an invitation to ‘come over now,’ but rather an attempt to communicate that I was unable to hear properly due to the interruptions.

"We are meant to speak through the chair, but this became impossible because I was being spoken over by members of the Labour Party.

“Additionally, Cllr McGee stated that she resigned from the health scrutiny committee because it wasn’t being governed properly. However, the reality is that she resigned because she did not agree with my political views, nor with my faith in Jesus Christ and my belief in the Bible. This is a recorded fact, and residents can view the proceedings at their leisure.”

He added: “Upon reflection, I realise that I did not conduct myself as professionally as I would have liked, and this is not in line with my usual behaviour. Therefore, I withdrew the remark to ensure the continuous collegial traditions of the chamber.”

Cllr Smithers said: “As the council leader I expressed disappointment regarding the conduct displayed by some councillors during last night's meeting. While robust debate is a cornerstone of our democratic process, it is imperative that we maintain decorum and mutual respect at all times.

"As elected officials, we bear the responsibility of representing our constituents in a professional manner, even when disagreements arise.

“I have proactively reached out to leaders of other political groups to convene a meeting aimed at preventing a recurrence of last night's unfortunate events.

“We must collectively uphold the standards of conduct expected of us by the communities we serve, This incident serves as a reminder of the duty and privilege entrusted to us as elected representatives. The council remains committed to fostering an environment where constructive dialogue and respectful debate can flourish.”

To watch the full meeting go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcFigsXIWyA