Councillor waiting three years to make maiden speech accuses leadership of ‘silencing’ him

A rebel Labour councillor still waiting to make his maiden speech more than 1,000 days after being elected has accused the party’s local leadership of ‘silencing’ him.

Lambeth councillor Martin Abrams was elected to represent Streatham St Leonard’s for Labour at the local elections in April 2022, during which the party swept to victory — winning 57 of the 63 seats on the council.

But speaking 1,000 days since he was first elected, on Wednesday, Cllr Abrams claimed he was still yet to be given the opportunity to make his maiden speech or ask a verbal question in the council’s chamber by the Labour whip. Lambeth Labour group said they rejected Cllr Abrams’ claims.

Cllr Abrams said he believes he is being blocked because of his vocal support for Palestine and his views on controversial issues, like council-imposed traffic restrictions in Streatham. The group denies this and says he has the same opportunities as other councillors.

Cllr Abrams claimed: “I have been continuously blocked from fully representing local residents, raising key issues that matter to the community such as the appalling housing emergency, failing waste services and low traffic neighbourhoods. I have a democratic mandate to represent local residents in Streatham and these attempts to silence me are anything but democratic.”

At the full council meeting, Cllr Abrams stood up to claim he was being silenced and complain he was yet to make his maiden speech. But, he was cut off before he finished speaking after protests from chief whip, Cllr Scarlett O’Hara. In February 2024, Cllr Abrams was suspended from Lambeth’s Labour group for voting in favour of a Green Party motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Labour councillors had been instructed to vote against the ceasefire motion but several councillors, including Cllr Abrams, Cllr Deepak Sardiwal and former councillor Sonia Winifred defied the order.

Winifred later resigned from the council after she was suspended at a disciplinary hearing which one party insider likened to a ‘show trial’.

While Cllr Abrams has continued sitting as a Labour member on the council, he claims he has been excluded from the Labour group office and doesn’t have access to party resources.

In December 2024, Cllr Abrams was removed from his position on Lambeth’s Corporate Committee, which monitors the governance and performance of the council. He also claims he has been told he isn’t allowed to submit written questions to full council meetings. Lambeth Labour group disputes this.

Cllr Abrams, who is Jewish, said that his decision to defy the party leadership and vote in favour of a ceasefire was ‘a matter of conscience’. He said: “My great grandparents were persecuted and driven from Eastern Europe over 100 years ago in the pogroms of Kiev and came to this country as refugees with nothing.

“It is exactly this history of persecution of my close ancestors in Europe over the ages that meant I was brought up to always stand with the oppressed and against oppression and that is why I have stood up and spoken out against the oppression faced by Palestinians.”

A Lambeth Labour spokesman said: “Cllr Abrams has been informed that, like any other councillor, he can submit written questions, deliver his maiden speech and carry out all his civic duties.

“He also remains able to represent the residents of St Leonard’s to the best of his ability. Nothing is stopping Cllr Abrams from fully participating in his role as an elected representative.

“As a result, we reject the claims that have been made. He has been offered guidance and training throughout and continues to have access to council services, as all councillors do.”

Pictured top: Councillor Martin Abrams believes Lambeth council’s Labour leadership is ‘silencing’ him (Picture: Supplied by Martin Abrams)