Ex-Labour councillor Ayfer Orhan standing for Lib Dems in local election

A former Labour councillor in Enfield, north London, who was known to be a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn before quitting the party, is standing for the Liberal Democrats at the local elections in May.

Ayfer Orhan, who was involved in a high-profile dispute with Labour after she shared a tweet in March 2019 which claimed Israel supported Isis in Syria in order to benefit from the “annexation” of the Golan Heights, quit Sir Keir Starmer’s party late last year.

She is now sitting as a Liberal Democrat councillor for the Ponders End ward as part of the Community First grouping on Enfield Council.

Enfield Liberal Democrats and Local Independents have joined together for the first time ahead of the May elections, with Orhan listed as one of the three candidates in the grouping standing for election.

Orhan had been suspended by Labour in 2019 after council leader Nesil Caliskan issued a statement claiming the tweet she shared had “caused distress to Jewish residents.”

Orhan threatened to take Labour to court over the issue saying she had been left fearing for her safety after being suspended, and claiming she was subjected to a “needless investigation” over her conduct.

She eventually quit  Labour, citing Starmer’s leadership as another reason.

First announcing  her decision to join the Lib Dems in November Orhan said: “I was first elected to serve in 1998 and for almost the last 20 years I have had the honour and privilege of serving the residents of Ponders End and now I will continue to serve as a Liberal Democrat.”