THE Labour leadership cut off a left-wing CLP’s means of communicating with the rest of the party’s membership after refusing to answer its questions about a paedophile former councillor in an alleged cover-up feared to go “right to the top of the party,” sources told the Morning Star.

Party bosses removed Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP’s access to its Organise mailing system a day after banning discussions about Dame Meg Hillier’s former agent Thomas Dewey’s legal proceedings at a meeting in July.

Today local Labour members described it as “a very covert method of shutting down all local democracy without going as far as suspending a CLP” as well as a “convenient” way for the Labour leadership to avoid internal scrutiny over its ongoing suspension of their constituency MP Diane Abbott’s whip.

The Morning Star understands the tactic has mostly been used to silence left-wing CLPs after Sir Keir Starmer became party leader in April 2020.

There are now calls for an investigation into who knew what after Mr Dewey narrowly won a council seat last May, days after he was arrested over child sex abuse image offences during a police raid at the home he shared with Hackney’s elected mayor Philip Glanville.

Hackney Council’s executive claimed his resignation from his post later that month was merely for “personal reasons” and local Labour activists were kept in the dark about the nature of the arrest until his charges were reported in the media more than a year later.

Our sources highlighted the resulting by-election would have raised questions on the doorstep and Labour maintained its silence over the nature of the arrest despite details being aired publicly on Twitter shortly following the resignation by Hackney independent Clair Battaglino.

The Organise suspension happened a day after safeguarding concerns were raised about Mr Dewey at a CLP Zoom meeting on July 13 2023, following media reports of him being charged, and held days before he pleaded guilty to all five counts in a magistrates court. He received a 12-month suspended sentence and 10-year sexual harm prevention order earlier this month.

An insider said CLP members were told by Labour London regional director Pearleen Sangha that “under no circumstances should this be discussed, this could be a criminal matter.”

The insider added: “When asked what people should say on the doorstep about Thomas Dewey it was simply no comment.

“The following evening the CLP chair and secretary received an email from London region indicating that the CLP’s access to Organise had been paused, effectively suspended for an unspecified period.

“Effectively we had to suspend normal operations, our July general meeting was called off. We weren’t able to send a CLP motion to the Labour conference as a result of that.”

The email, seen by the Star, state:s “Labour Party guidance concerning discussion of ongoing legal and disciplinary cases rules that they are not competent business for discussion,” adding safeguarding concerns should be emailed in.

Another source believed the suspension was to stop the CLP’s members sharing their concerns with the wider membership and “it was seen as fitting punishment to people who weren’t willing to kowtow to [Ms Sangha’s] decisions.”

The insider added: “It’s quite draconian and of course it’s a happy coincidence from the perspective from the regional and national party machine — Diane Abbott has been suspended. 

“Four months later we know nothing of what their intentions are. We strongly suspect the party will impose a candidate or at best impose a shortlist of three or four people not from those who would be considered on the left.”

Hackney Council’s interim chief executive, Dawn Carter-McDonald, said the council only became aware of Dewey’s arrest “prior to the local elections on May 5” last year after it was first alerted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on May 13.

It “immediately undertook all the safeguarding measures within its control and means, before alerting appropriate partners, and accepting Dewey’s resignation as a councillor as soon as practicable” on May 16.

Labour and Ms Hillier’s office have been contacted for comment.