HOW DARE THEY!
SHEERMAN’S FURY AS EX-MP AND HUSBAND JOIN RALLY OVER SUSPENDED TEACHER
HUDDERSFIELD MP Barry Sheerman has launched a furious attack on former Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker and her husband Rob for turning up at a protest in Fartown over a suspended teacher.
The rally by trade union activists as well as Black Lives Matter members was in support of Louise Lewis, a black PE teacher at North Huddersfield Trust High School, formerly Fartown High School.
Mr Sheerman said he was incensed by the presence of Mrs Walker and her husband, a Colne Valley councillor, as well as Mike Forster, a well-known trade union activist and chairman of Hands off HRI.
He said: “This was outrageous. How dare they! I am warning them: ‘get off my patch.’ I take it very, very badly when people from Colne Valley turn up in this way upsetting my constituents.
“I am very angry. There’s an issue involving a local school in the heart of my constituency and I have been in touch with the leader of Kirklees Council, Shabir Pandor, its chief executive, Jacqui Gedman and the head of children’s services to try to sort it out in an amicable a way as possible.
“It’s not on for former MPs and councillors from outside the area to turn up in this way and upset pupils, parents – and it has certainly upset me. Let’s sort this out in a civilised and appropriate way.”
Mrs Walker is a former headteacher and was photographed with a placard in support of the suspended teacher. She recently resigned her membership of the Labour Party.
Clr Walker said: “We are both members of the National Education Union. I think we have the right to be present at something like this.”
Mr Forster added:
“It is unfortunate
Barry should be so upset at people wanting to show their solidarity with a victimised trade unionist.
“Our focus is to fight as hard as we can to ensure Louise is reinstated and a full independent investigation takes place into the actions of the headteacher. We wish Barry well with his actions in trying to resolve this dispute and he is, of course, welcome to sign the petitions and join the campaign.”