Unfairly sacked, aide who called Labour MP ‘idiot’
A LABOUR MP unfairly sacked an aide and former lover after she called him a ‘first-class idiot’ in an email copied to Keir Starmer, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Khalid Mahmood fired long-time adviser Elaina Cohen after she sent him a series of ‘offensive’ messages.
He claimed the emails – in which he was accused of being ‘cruel’, ‘spiteful’ and an ‘insecure, crooked womaniser’ – had made him feel ‘harassed and bullied’, and said she had been dismissed for disrespecting him.
For her part, Miss Cohen claimed she was sacked after raising concerns about a parliamentary colleague, which led to Mr Mahmood ‘ghosting’ her for months and launching an inquiry into her conduct.
Yesterday, after a four-day hearing, a tribunal in central London ruled that by overseeing the disciplinary process himself and deciding to fire her, the former shadow Cabinet member, 61, had treated her unfairly.
The hearing had been told Miss Cohen, 62, started to work for Mr Mahmood in his House of Commons office in 2003. They entered a ‘ romantic relationship’ shortly afterwards, which Miss Cohen claims ended in 2005 when she refused to become his ‘second wife’ in an Islamic marriage ceremony. Her case was centred on a number of serious claims she said she brought to the attention of Mr Mahmood about another of his aides, Saraya Hussain.
These included allegations that Miss Hussain, previously the operations director at a domestic violence charity, had allegedly exploited and abused vulnerable women in her care.
Miss Cohen said the Birmingham Perry Barr MP failed to act properly on her concerns and instead ‘ accused me of making trouble for Saraya Hussain because I was jealous’.
A series of emails between the pair followed, in one of which Miss Cohen told Mr Mahmood: ‘If I were to put all our messages over the years into the public domain most
‘Accused me of being jealous’
would regard you as a firstclass idiot’. It was this email which Mr Mahmood copied in to Labour leader Sir Keir.
The MP then launched formal disciplinary action against Miss Cohen which led to him firing her in January 2021, stating that she had ‘repeatedly disrespected’ him. But the panel at London’s Central Tribunal Courts concluded that, although her dismissal may have been warranted, the way it was carried out – with Mr Mahmood complainant, chairman and judge – was unfair.
Mr Mahmood will now have to pay her compensation.
Both he and Miss Cohen said they were ‘pleased’ with the judgment last night.
No criminal investigation or charges were ever brought against Miss Hussain.