Osterley and Spring Grove Councillor Quits Licensing Role

Delivers stinging criticism of 'toxic environment' in local Labour party

Cllr Aftab Siddiqui. Picture: Hounslow Council

December 19, 2025

Labour in Hounslow is facing renewed internal turmoil after Cllr Aftab Siddiqui resigned as Vice Chair of the council’s Licensing and General Purposes Committee.

The Osterley and Spring Grove councillor published a strongly worded letter accusing the administration of creating a “toxic environment” and sidelining experienced councillors.

In his letter to council leader Shantanu Rajawat, the councillor said he had concluded that the administration showed “little regard for the competency, commitment, and capabilities of elected councillors.” He also warned that the atmosphere within the Labour group was “akin to what was observed at Tower Hamlets before Labour party lost its control.”

Cllr Siddiqui’s resignation comes during a period of significant upheaval for Labour locally. The party remains under special measures, with the national executive committee (NEC) taking direct control of candidate selection for the May 2026 elections. The process has proved contentious, with several sitting councillors not reselected and others moved to more marginal wards. Critics within the party have alleged that family ties and factional interests have influenced selections, while long‑serving councillors have been displaced.

The resignation also follows a separate controversy involving the Licensing Committee. Earlier this autumn, its former chair, Cllr Farhaan Rehman, stepped down after parking his Lamborghini in a disabled bay and becoming the subject of a council investigation into undeclared business interests.

Cllr Siddiqui is the latest Labour councillor to publicly break ranks. In recent months, councillors Vickram Grewal and Karamat Malik have both left the party, citing concerns about internal governance and the direction of the local group. Cllr Ranjit Gill has gone in the opposition direct and he is to be one of the Labour party’s candidates in Osterley and Spring Grove.

Cllr Siddiqui stressed that he would continue to serve as a Labour councillor but believed recent decisions had “eroded confidence among local Labour Party members and the wider electorate.”

The Conservative opposition said the resignation raised serious questions about Labour’s ability to govern.

Cllr Jack Emsley, Conservative councillor for Chiswick Homefields, said, “This extraordinary letter and resignation should be a wake-up call for residents ahead of next year's election — the Labour Party in Hounslow can no longer be trusted to govern our borough effectively. It is clear that Hounslow Labour is more interested in defending the indefensible conduct of some of its senior councillors than doing the job they were elected to do. Cllr Siddiqui has taken a principled stance against the ongoing chaos within the Labour administration. Next year, people in Hounslow will have the chance to back common-sense local Conservatives who will deliver for our borough and restore trust and competence in local government.”

Labour in Hounslow has been approached for comment on Cllr Siddiqui’s resignation.