‘A betrayal of progress’: Outrage over removal of councillor from committee after eight week campaign

Pro-Palestine campaigners have described Lewisham Labour’s decision to remove a councillor from a committee after months of campaigning as a “betrayal of progress and accountability”.

Peace activists rallied outside Lewisham town hall on May 8, as the decision to remove Cllr Liam Shrivastava from the council’s Pension Investment Committee (PIC) was finalised at the council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

A Lewisham Labour spokesman said each committee sees several changes in its membership every year at the AGM, with allocations based on the “indicated preference of members, spaces and equity of opportunity”.

But campaigners claim the decision is linked to Cllr Shrivastava’s support of divesting council pension funds from any arms companies and committing to never invest in funds which have links to the arms trade.

John McGrath, secretary of Lewisham and Greenwich Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said: “Plans for Liam’s removal betray progress and accountability.”

Cllr Shrivastava’s removal from the committee comes after an eight-month campaign by peace organisations – including a petition signed by more than 3,000 residents.

Campaigners allege that 13.4 per cent of Lewisham council’s pension fund is managed by Blackrock, an asset management firm which holds investments linked to Israel and arms companies.

A spokesman for Blackrock said the company has investments in companies which “may be linked to Israel” but these are “all controlled by third parties”. 

A Lewisham council spokesman previously said that 0.1 per cent of the local authority’s pension funds were invested in the Aerospace and Defence sector.

But, the spokesman said, the council has been assured that the funds it pays into do not directly fund arms manufacture.

On September 19, 2024, the PIC introduced a resolution, seconded by Cllr Shrivastava, to divest its pension investments away from companies involved in the arms trade or operate within an area considered Occupied Territory under International law.

But at a rally last month, Cllr Shrivastava said: “Following that meeting, I received a formal warning letter from the Lewisham Labour Group Chief Whip censuring me for bringing the divestment motion to the committee. 

“In that letter, I was accused of bringing the party into disrepute.

“Now let’s be very, very clear: the people that bring the Labour Party into disrepute are the ministers that provide diplomatic cover, intelligence, and material support to Israel, sustaining this war and facilitating war crimes.” 

Cllr Shrivastava’s removal from the committee comes after an eight-month campaign by peace organisations (Picture: PSC)

The revelation stirred outrage amongst activists who saw the warning as an effort to placate their campaign.

Edward Sutton, chairman of the Lewisham Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “This decision to remove Liam from the PIC is a clear move to silence outspoken voices.

“The Labour led council hopes they can just placate our campaign calling for divestment, but they should know that we will not be going away, and we will not be ignored.

“With local elections due in May 2026, sitting Labour councillors hoping to be re-elected should be listening to their constituents and taking action for Palestine and supporting Councillor Liam Shrivastava to remain on the PIC.”

Cllr Shrivastava has been replaced by councillor Eva Kestner, who has been put forward by the Parliamentary Labour Party as a candidate for Scotland in the 2026 elections.

Pictured top: Campaigners gather outside Lewisham town hall yesterday as the council finalised its committee decision (Picture: PSC)