Portsmouth Labour criticised after protestors branded "terrorists" and "Nazis" in leaked WhatsApp texts
A Portsmouth City Council meeting descended into “Punch and Judy politics” after leaked WhatsApp messages among local Labour members were shared, revealing alleged “bullying,” “intimidation,” and “abuse”.
During the full council meeting on Tuesday (November 12), the Labour group introduced a motion calling for a social media policy to strengthen the existing code of conduct for elected members.
In response, Portsmouth Independent Party (PiP) leader Councillor George Madgwick shared leaked screenshots from two Labour Party WhatsApp groups named Portsmouth South and Portsmouth North, corresponding to the city’s constituencies.
The messages revealed Labour group leader Councillor Charlotte Gerada accusing Eastney and Craneswater ward members of “laziness” and suggesting it would be “very racist indeed” if Liberal Democrats had confused the identity of two Labour candidates.
In the wake of August's anti-immigration protest in Portsmouth's Guildhall Square, Cllr Asghar Shah praised counter-protesters saying "well done Portsmouth" and that he did "appreciate your fight against criminals and their fight and crimes". He has since said he was not referring to Portsmouth right-wing protesters as criminals, only that criminal actions had taken place as part of the national wave of protests and rioting.
During the full council meeting, Cllr Tom Coles apologised to PIP candidate and campaigner Jacob Short for a comment in the group chat, where he had jokingly apologised for being a relative of his.
Another comment, not made by a councillor, mocked the Fratton campaigner following an unsuccessful local election result, saying, “Short by name, short by votes.” Liberal Democrat Cllr Lee Hunt was also targeted in a message suggesting his surname was “one letter off from what he is”.
In another instance, a group chat member accused a local Liberal Democrat staff member of “leaving town under allegations of sexual assault.” During a debate about the divisiveness of calling the Guildhall protesters “fascist thugs,” one member suggested using the term “terrorists” while another opted for “nazis”. An admin deleted messages which disclosed an individual’s address to 143 group chat members out of concern for privacy and general data protection regulations.
The admins of the WhatsApp groups include Cllr Gerada, Portsmouth North MP Amanda Martin, and Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan. As of now, there is no evidence to suggest that either admin challenged or moderated the language used in the group chat. Cllr Madgwick called out the Labour group for its “hypocrisy” in advocating for higher standards of conduct online.
He recently came under fire after posting on a Facebook page that right-leaning organisations should “unite”, with the leader of the PIP denying that he endorsed such groups. He mentioned far-right organisations with fascist tendencies, such as Britain First.
Cllr Madgwick said: “To moderate a group chat that allows bullying, unfounded allegations, verbal in-person abuse and intimidation of an election candidate and then not to condemn or take action is appalling. I hope the Labour group locally, and our elected MPs, re-read the toxic content of their local party/members group and reflect on their inaction. In closing, he hopes that both Labour MPs and Cllr Gerada issue an apology ‘to anyone who has been affected by this’.”
PIP campaigner Jacob Short told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he accepted Cllr Coles’ apology, however, he can’t “completely forgive the nature of the comments” and believes that Portsmouth Labour “needs to reflect and change”. Addressing the comments towards him, Cllr Hunt said he is “proud of his name” and described the disclosure as “playground politics”.
Councillor Cal Corkery, who led the Labour group until he became an independent, said during the meeting that councillors commonly risk “descending into Punch and Judy politics” which is “the worst of this chamber”.
A Portsmouth Labour Spokesperson says: “Portsmouth Labour are relentlessly focused on delivering value for money for council tax payers and building the best possible city for everyone in Portsmouth. The electorate is far more interested in delivery and turning the country around than trivia.” Both Amanda Martin and Stephen Morgan were approached for comment.