Outspoken Birmingham councillor Majid Mahmood has 'gone rogue' to express his anger and frustration after a new 'progressive coalition' was voted in - with his party Labour playing no role.
In a move that could trigger his suspension from the party, Cllr Mahmood has publicly criticised Labour's decision to reject the chance to help shape the left-leaning coalition now running the city. He said his party's lack of action and refusal to get involved in talks meant the party has let down the 91,000 voters who still backed them in sufficient numbers.
New coalition leadership
Cllr Mahmood, who represents the East Birmingham ward of Hodge Hill and Bromford, spoke out in the wake of a leadership vote last night which saw Liberal Democrat Roger Harmer elected as leader of the council and Greens' Julien Pritchard made deputy leader. The Greens, second biggest party with 19 seats, and Lib Dems, with 12 seats, had pulled together a minority coalition that also included the seven-councillor group Better Birmingham Independents, led by Harris Khaliq. Together with the support of two other Independents, Martin Brooks and Sam Forsyth, Harmer secured the leadership with 40 votes. Labour's 17 members abstained.
They later learned that they had been cut out of holding any of the prestigious opposition roles chairing scrutiny committees, triggering a separate row. Mahmood believes Labour had earned the right to be part of the coalition talks and should not have stood by. Labour had emerged from the elections on May 7 with the second biggest vote share in the city and the third highest number of seats on the new-look council, despite local and national failings and a fierce 'anyone but Labour' campaign. It now has 17 seats, compared to 65 at the last city council election in 2022.
Mahmood's criticism
Writing on X/Twitter this morning, Cllr Mahmood - former cabinet member for transport and waste - openly criticised the decision making that led to the party being outside any coalition discussions. He wrote: "I have received many calls from Labour voters in my ward of Bromford and Hodge Hill, as well as from across the city, expressing their disappointment and frustration. Like them, I am deeply disappointed that Labour is not part of the new left wing coalition in the city. Unfortunately, the decision was made by the (Labour) NEC (National Executive Committee) not to enter into any arrangements or discussions with other political groups. More than 91,000 people in the city voted for Labour, and I firmly believe we should have been part of the left wing coalition."
He goes on to share the contents of a letter he wrote to his party's national leadership on May 21st, in which he pressed for the party to 'be involved' and consider the best way forward for the city. In it he implored the party to review its position to not enter into any coalition talks. He wrote: "If Labour is not able to remain centrally involved in the decision making and administration of the council, it risks leaving the door open to alternative groupings. None of these...would be able to command a clear or stable working majority." He added in his letter: "This uncertainty comes at precisely the wrong time. Birmingham has recently taken difficult but necessary steps to address long standing financial challenges...settled longstanding equal pay liability and worked hard to bring the finances back onto a more stable footing. We had also agreed to enter upon a major transformation for refuse collection services...vital both environmentally and operationally...but the political uncertainty now places this progress in jeopardy." He says he has not received a reply to his letter.
He separately slated his party's approach in a response to a tweet criticising the new coalition set-up for not having the mandate of the electorate. Mahmood wrote in response: "That’s what happens when some councillors refuse to work together. Unfortunately Labour chose opposition over coalition, so the councillors willing to form an administration did."
Personal and political links
Cllr Mahmood has strong personal and political links to members of the new cabinet, who include several disgruntled former Labour supporters, and shared a joint outlook and values. We have contacted Cllr Nicky Brennan, Labour group leader, for comment. She has previously justified Labour's decision to sit outside the coalition, telling BirminghamLive: “We respect the outcome of the election and the message voters have sent. Now is the time for us to reflect carefully on the result, listen to residents, and rebuild trust and support with our communities. For that reason, our group will not be entering into any coalition agreement or power-sharing arrangement with other parties. We will continue to serve residents constructively from the opposition benches, holding the new administration to account where necessary while supporting decisions that are in the best interests of the city and its residents.”
Cllr Mahmood, a practising solicitor, had been part of the Labour administration that ran city affairs for the last four years and a councillor since 2011. Last year he quit his membership of bins union Unite on the grounds of alleged intimidation and abuse by its members against other workers. Since then he has been largely silent in public and has spoken only to support his group's policies, in the spirit of collective responsibility. His apparent obsequience to party diktat locally and nationally stands in stark contrast to 2019, when Mahmood, at the time an avowed fan of Jeremy Corbyn, quit his council cabinet role overseeing waste services after the council took legal action against bin workers. He said then: "I am not going to be party to a Labour council using Tory legislation to attack bin workers, our brothers and sisters in the union movement." His fighting spirit has apparently been re-awoken by frustration with his party's handling of the election campaign, its commentary around the bins dispute and the post-election fallout.
Earlier this week he had denied his party's claims that a 'deal had been done' with union Unite to end the city's bin dispute, saying there was never a fully costed and legally approved deal. His actions have put him at odds with his colleagues and now his next steps are uncertain. Labour Party rules dictate that any member who speaks independently in this way is liable for investigation and potentially suspension.
