A fierce confrontation erupted between Labour MP Barry Gardiner and councillor Jaymey McIvor during a debate about demographic changes in Tower Hamlets.
The exchange grew heated when Mr Gardiner accused Mr McIvor of conflating English identity with non-Muslim status.
“This is exactly why your party is tanking in the polls: you put words into the mouths of people like me,” Mr Gardiner charged.
Mr McIvor fired back: “No, no I’m representing the views of the silent majority of this country who are too scared to speak because they get accused of rubbish like that.”
The Labour MP dismissed this as “nonsense.”
The clash occurred amid ongoing tensions surrounding a banned Ukip demonstration in the east London borough, where police have prohibited marches citing public safety concerns.
Mr McIvor, who serves as a councillor in Ongar, claimed that significant numbers of English residents are departing East London at speed.
“There are lots of English people who live, or used to live, in parts of East London like that. Many are now leaving at a rapid pace for places like Ongar,” he stated.
Barry Gardiner dismissed her point as ‘nonsense’
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The councillor described the emotional toll on those who have relocated, saying: “It breaks their hearts when they go back to visit old neighbours and see how awful it has become to live there.
“They feel their communities have been taken over. People don’t want to live there anymore because it’s being ruined and this is happening across the country,” McIvor added, insisting he could “speak with authority on this as a councillor.”
The Labour MP demanded: “How many English people do you think live in Tower Hamlets? Because you made a distinction between English people and Muslims. Newsflash there are lots of English Muslims.
When Mr McIvor attempted to redirect the conversation, claiming residents were “actively seeking refuge from dangerous parts of London,” Gardiner refused to let the matter drop.
Jaymey McIvor hit back and said he was peaking for the ‘hidden majority’
“I put a direct question to you and you haven’t answered it,” he insisted. “You clearly don’t believe English people and Muslims can be the same you implied it throughout.”
The councillor eventually conceded he did not know the precise population figures, prompting Gardiner to retort: “No you don’t. Yet you talked about English people moving out.”
The row unfolded against the backdrop of Metropolitan Police decisions to block Ukip events from proceeding in Tower Hamlets.
Scotland Yard prohibited a planned “Walk With Jesus” march scheduled for January 31 in Whitechapel, an area with one of Britain’s largest Muslim populations.
Officers deemed it would be “reckless” to permit the demonstration given the risk of violence.
This represents the second Ukip gathering banned from the borough in recent months.
When authorities outlawed “The Mass Deportations Tour” in October, a counter-demonstration followed in which hundreds of Bangladeshi men wearing masks, balaclavas and dark clothing assembled in the streets.
Columns of protesters marched through Whitechapel chanting “Allahu Akbar,” declaring they were “ready to defend our community.”
Nigel Farage called the scenes among the most “terrifying things” he had witnessed.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman emphasised that the prohibition stemmed entirely from public safety assessments rather than political motivations.
“It would be reckless to allow an event to go ahead when we understand there’s a risk of serious violence to members of the community and to our officers,” he stated.
“We are not doing so on the grounds of politics. We’re not even doing so on the grounds of whether people will be offended or not by their presence,” Harman explained. “We are doing so solely on our risk assessment for serious disorder.”