The latest headlines in your inbox
A Labour politician has been suspended from the party after allegedly telling a town hall official he would “cut his f***ing balls off”.
Enfield council’s former deputy leader Daniel Anderson is accused of bullying officers with “aggressive” and “uncontrolled” behaviour, calling them “idiots” and threatening to have them sacked.
An internal report prepared by the council’s legal services department and seen by the Standard includes claims that Mr Anderson “lost his temper” and threatened to castrate a council officer and have him fired during a heated discussion over transport policy.
He has been “administratively suspended” from the Labour party.
Today the councillor, who was elected in 2014, denied all the allegations and vowed to clear his name, saying dissident councillors had been “sidelined”.
It is the latest episode in a “civil war” between Labour party members and councillors in the borough. Last June Mr Anderson was among five Labour councillors not to stand for re-election to cabinet positions over concerns that party rules had been breached.
Two months later an appeal hearing found that Labour leader Nesil Caliskan had bullied a cabinet colleague and breached the council’s code of conduct.
Ms Caliskan claimed the disciplinary process was a “politically motivated attack”.
Today she said: “The report [on Mr Anderson] was shared with me in my capacity as leader of the Labour group. It is utterly unacceptable that any council officer has had to endure such experiences.
“A threat of physical violence is not only an abuse of power, but a crime. I welcome that the national Labour party has acted swiftly and imposed a suspension on this councillor’s membership of the Labour party.
“I would like to acknowledge the bravery of those Enfield council officers who have … spoken out.”
It is understood police have not been informed.
Separately, Mr Anderson has been barred from council premises for two months, except to attend full council meetings. He has until Friday to appeal.
He said: “The leader of the council was found guilty of breaching the code of conduct for bullying colleagues. The question has to be asked why I was picked upon when the leader of the council was not.”
Enfield council said the suspension was a Labour party matter.
A Labour spokesman said it “takes all complaints of this nature extremely seriously, and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and any appropriate action is taken.”
