A local Labour party run by a chief who blamed empty schools on Essex parents ‘not breeding’ enough pressured a headteacher to be sacked for supporting Reform UK.
In a since-edited post on Facebook, Basildon Labour Party described the political opinions of a headteacher as a ‘serious and legitimate safeguarding concern’.
The local party seemingly aimed to pressure Wickford Primary School into sacking headteacher Lorraine Ramet.
Posting at 8.33am, it said: ‘We are deeply disappointed that the headteacher of Wickford Primary School has failed to respond to serious and legitimate safeguarding concerns regarding their support for Reform UK Councillors.’
The post sparked outrage with hundreds questioning how a person’s political standpoint could be considered a safeguarding issue.
Two hours later, the local party edited their post, claiming it took issue with the school allegedly hiring Reform Councillors to act as traffic enforcement officers without clearance from the local authority.
The update post said: ‘We are deeply disappointed that the Headteacher of Wickford Primary School has failed to respond to serious and legitimate safeguarding concerns regarding their support for Reform UK Councillors acting as traffic enforcement operatives.
‘It’s clear that no risk assessment was undertaken.
Basildon Council is run by Gavin Callaghan, who was backed by Sir Keir Starmer during the councillor’s re-election campaign
In a since-edited post on Facebook , Basildon Labour Party described the political opinions of a headteacher as a ‘serious and legitimate safeguarding concern’. Pictured: The original post at 8.33am and the edited post at 10.16am
The local party seemingly aimed to pressure Wickford Primary School into sacking headteacher Lorraine Ramet (pictured)
‘This will now be taken to the Board of Governors to find out if the Headteacher made them aware of this decision.’
The leader of Basildon Council’s Reform party, Cllr Sam Journet, said: ‘Basildon Labour cannot hide their disgusting rhetoric.
‘You can edit your way out of what the public see, but we can see the history of the post.’
He suggested their editing of the post could be an ‘admission they’ve made a fatal error?’
Basildon Council’s leader, Gavin Callaghan, told the Daily Mail: ‘Basildon Labour haven’t asked for any teacher to be sacked based on who they individually support. Any teacher can vote for anyone they like.
‘Schools themselves should remain politically impartial. You’re referring to an issue relating to a traffic enforcement issue outside the school in which Reform UK Councillors were acting as traffic enforcement officers without any powers or clearance from the local authority, but with the apparent blessing of the school.’
Previously, Callaghan made a bizarre claim to the Daily Mail that parents in Billericay were ‘not breeding’ enough children and the council was ‘five years away from closing schools’.
Despite Starmer’s backing during Callaghan’s re-election campaign, he also accused the PM’s government of limiting the NHS’s ability to build state-of-the-art GP and dentist surgeries in Essex, which the Department of Health, NHS and local integrated care system said was not true.
The leader of Basildon Council’s Reform party, Cllr Sam Journet, said: ‘Basildon Labour cannot hide their disgusting rhetoric’
Previously, Callaghan made a bizarre claim to the Daily Mail that parents in Billericay were ‘not breeding’ enough children
Callaghan had approached a Daily Mail reporter on social media after this site revealed how locals were furious at Basildon Council’s controversial plan to build 27,000 new homes across the borough, 17,000 of which will be on green belt land.
Asked whether he was worried the government would force extra services to be provided for the 27,000-home development, he said: ‘In Billericay we are five years away from closing schools. I know the public don’t want to hear it but they’re not breeding in the town.
‘There isn’t a shortage of schools in Billericay and there will be new ones if these homes are built.’
For the last three years on record, Basildon’s fertility rate has decreased by 0.14, but remains higher than the national average and the third highest in Essex, and all 11 schools in Billericay are oversubscribed.
Wickford Primary School, headteacher Lorraine Ramet and Reform UK have been contacted for comment.
