Activists were today under fire for mocking the departure of a Labour council leader who quit amid claims she suffered bullying and sexism by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn.
Claire Kober announced she will stand down as leader of Haringey council in May after months of hostility from Left-wingers over a housing scheme, the Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV), which involved a partnership with the private sector.
Campaigners celebrating her resignation released an image showing her head and those of two deposed colleagues superimposed on a poster based on the cover of an album by the rock group Cream.
The post by the Stop HDV campaign on Twitter said “Kober to quit!” and “HDV — Farewell tour” with the date February 7 — the day protesters against the housing scheme are due to hold a demonstration outside the council.
In another tweet by the campaign group written in the early hours of today they accused Ms Kober of “lying” about being bullied.
It read: “She’s lying when she says she’s been bullied. She’s lying when she said she’s faced sexism and she’s lying when she says the reason she has lost has anything to do with a Momentum coup. It’s ordinary Labour Party members, many of whom decry Momentum, seeing what a mess she’s made.”
The poster also features the heads of Alan Strickland, cabinet member for housing and regeneration, and Lorna Reith, chief whip of Haringey Labour group.
Richard Angell, director of Progress, Labour’s centre-Left pressure group, said the poster showed that the Stop HDV group was “personally attacking” Ms Kober. He added: “Strong disagreement with policy is one thing, but the bullying and spiteful nature of the campaign has been on a level rarely seen and not welcome in a nicer, kinder politics everyone in Labour wants to see.”
Ms Kober’s departure follows months of bitter deselection battles in which “moderate” councillors were picked off and replaced by Momentum-backed candidates to stand in the borough elections.
The Stop HDV campaign said: “We condemn bullying and sexist behaviour and do not tolerate it in any way.”
It also praised Ms Kober’s “years of commitment” to local Government and added: “We wish her well in her future career.”
