Aberdeen’s exiled Labour councillors have been urged to either ditch their coalition with the Conservatives or give up hopes of rejoining the party.
Pressure has been put on the so-called Aberdeen Nine to denounce their administration partners after Tory councillor Ryan Houghton was readmitted to the party following a suspension for using discriminatory language.
The calls have come from from the Aberdeen University Labour Students, who have described Mr Houghton’s comments as “poison”.
The freshly-reinstated Conservative had been suspended for six month after seven-year-old online forum posts came to light in the midst of last year’s general election campaign.
Mr Houghton had written that parts of the Holocaust were “fabricated and exaggerated”.
The George Street and Harbour member says the “isolated” remarks which led to his suspension – which also included posts that addressed Islam and homosexuality – were taken out of the context of a political discussion and do not reflect his views.
Having apologised to those who contacted him about it and shown “unreserved acceptance” what he had done was wrong, the Tories readmitted him a fortnight ago.
Both the Scottish Council Of Jewish Communities and the Muslim Council of Britain condemned the move.
The Aberdeen Nine, including council co-leader Jenny Laing, were suspended in May 2017, having disobeyed then-Scottish leader Kezia Dugdale by forming their coalition.
As new UK leader Sir Keir Starmer took up his post last month, action was promised to resolve a dispute he said had been going on “far too long”.
Labour has been dogged by problems of anti-Semitism in recent years, which have resulted in high profile resignations from the party.
This background, Aberdeen University Labour Students claim, means political alliance with Mr Houghton is “untenable”.
Chairman Martin Le Brech said: “With everything that has happened with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party we need to take a stand of zero tolerance.
“The councillors should withdraw from the coalition, otherwise they are backing Mr Houghton.
“The Aberdeen Conservatives are supporting him and we cannot – and as they actively try to re-enter the party, this is untenable.
“Now would be right time to say they do not agree with the decision to reinclude him.”
The P&J approached Scottish and UK Labour for comment.
Aberdeen Labour deputy leader councillor Tauqeer Malik said: “It is somewhat ironic that during a pandemic, Labour students are calling for Labour councillors to withdraw from an administration that, through its actions over the last eight years, has championed and protected the most vulnerable in our communities.
“As the only BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) member of the council I find the students’ incongruous request troublesome and disappointing given that they are asking me as a Muslim Labour councillor to stand in solidarity with Aberdeen’s Muslim Community, something I do day in and day out.
“Our administration will continue to work tirelessly for every citizen and every community.”
