Miranda Grell
Encyclopedia
Miranda Agnes Jayne Grell (born June 1978) is a former Labour Party
politician and councillor for the London Borough of Waltham Forest
. She was the first person to be found guilty of making false statements under the Representation of the People Act 1983
and banned for holding public office for three years as a result.
who had moved to Britain in 1973. She studied European Studies with Modern Languages at the University of Manchester
, gaining a First Class Honours, and took a Master's degree in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics
.
.
At the time she stood in the local election, she worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to the conciliation service Acas
and as a trainee speech writer for Anna Diamantopoulou
. Following her election to Waltham Forest council, she then went to work as a researcher for the former Deputy Mayor of London
, Nicky Gavron
. She served on the management committee of the think tank
Compass
from June 2005 until her resignation from the committee in December 2007.
on an unexpectedly large swing from the Liberal Democrats
in a split result for the Leyton ward
of Waltham Forest. The result was close with Grell winning by 28 votes. However, in September 2007, she went on trial on charges under the Representation of the People Act 1983 of making a false statement of fact about a candidate's personal character or conduct for electoral advantage, specifically that she made allegations of paedophilia against her gay
Liberal Democrat opponent, Barry Smith. In addition to losing his seat Smith was verbally abused in the street, spat at and was forced to relocate to the North of England
as a result of the false allegations, fearing for his life.
Witnesses against Grell included a Labour voter and also her Labour running mate, Nicholas Russell
. Grell admitted to outing
her opponent and falsely claiming he had a 19 year old Thai
boyfriend (his partner is actually 39 and Malaysian), though she denied making the false allegations of paedophilia to four residents. On 21 September 2007, she was found guilty on two counts fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 towards the prosecution costs.
On 27 November, The Independent newspaper quoted a party spokesman: "Following legal advice in the last few days, the Labour Party today withdrew its support for Miranda Grell's appeal." Criticism was levelled at the party for supporting Grell's appeal, in particular by gay rights campaigner and former Labour candidate Peter Tatchell
.
Grell's appeal hearing began on 28 November 2007 at Snaresbrook Crown Court before Judge Peter Birts QC and two lay magistrates. On 30 November, Grell's conviction for making false statements about another candidate to gain electoral advantage was upheld.
She vacated her seat and was banned from holding public office for three years. The by-election
for Leyton ward on 14 February 2008 was won by Liberal Democrat Winnie Smith.
Following the appeal verdict, Grell resigned from the Labour Party, her job working for the Deputy Mayor of London and from the Compass management committee, but still pleaded her innocence.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and councillor for the London Borough of Waltham Forest
London Borough of Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is in northeast London, England. Officially, it forms part of Outer London as it borders Essex. However, it can be seen that the NE London boundary does not extend far compared to elsewhere in the city...
. She was the first person to be found guilty of making false statements under the Representation of the People Act 1983
Representation of the People Act 1983
The Representation of the People Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It changed the British electoral process in the following ways:* Amended the Representation of the People Act 1969....
and banned for holding public office for three years as a result.
Early life
Grell was born in 1978 to parents from DominicaDominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
who had moved to Britain in 1973. She studied European Studies with Modern Languages at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, gaining a First Class Honours, and took a Master's degree in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Politics
Grell joined the Labour Party in 1999 having been persuaded to do so by her friend and fellow student Chuka UmunnaChuka Umunna
Chuka Harrison Umunna is a British Labour Party politician and employment lawyer. He has been the Member of Parliament for Streatham since 2010. After less than 18 months in Parliament, he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Business Secretary by Labour Leader Ed Miliband on 7 October 2011...
.
At the time she stood in the local election, she worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to the conciliation service Acas
Acas
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice...
and as a trainee speech writer for Anna Diamantopoulou
Anna Diamantopoulou
Anna Diamantopoulou , is a Member of Parliament in Greece for the party of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and the current Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs in Greece...
. Following her election to Waltham Forest council, she then went to work as a researcher for the former Deputy Mayor of London
Deputy Mayor of London
The Deputy Mayor of London is a member of the London Assembly appointed by the Mayor of London in accordance with the Greater London Authority Act 1999. No particular duties are specified by the Act, except to be available as temporary Mayor during a vacancy or temporary incapacity of the Mayor...
, Nicky Gavron
Nicky Gavron
Felicia Nicolette C. "Nicky" Gavron, née Coates is a British politician, former Deputy Mayor of London, a member of the London Assembly and the former Labour candidate for the 2004 Mayor of London elections.- Biography :...
. She served on the management committee of the think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Compass
Compass (think tank)
Compass is a left wing pressure group, aligned with the UK Labour Party describing itself as 'An umbrella grouping of the progressive left whose sum is greater than its parts'...
from June 2005 until her resignation from the committee in December 2007.
2006 local election controversy
Grell won a seat in the May 2006 local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2006
Local government elections took place in England on Thursday 4 May 2006. Polling stations were open between 7:00 and 22:00.All London borough council seats were up for election, as well as a third of the seats on each of the metropolitan borough councils, and a third of some unitary authorities...
on an unexpectedly large swing from the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in a split result for the Leyton ward
Leyton (ward)
Leyton ward is one of the electoral wards of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, situated in London, England. The ward is the known district of Leyton and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Leyton and Wanstead and the London Assembly constituency of North East.Prominent landmarks are...
of Waltham Forest. The result was close with Grell winning by 28 votes. However, in September 2007, she went on trial on charges under the Representation of the People Act 1983 of making a false statement of fact about a candidate's personal character or conduct for electoral advantage, specifically that she made allegations of paedophilia against her gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Liberal Democrat opponent, Barry Smith. In addition to losing his seat Smith was verbally abused in the street, spat at and was forced to relocate to the North of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
as a result of the false allegations, fearing for his life.
Witnesses against Grell included a Labour voter and also her Labour running mate, Nicholas Russell
Nicholas Russell, 6th Earl Russell
Nicholas Lyulph Russell, 6th Earl Russell , styled Viscount Amberley between 1987 and 2004, is the elder son of Conrad Russell, 5th Earl Russell and Elizabeth Russell...
. Grell admitted to outing
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
her opponent and falsely claiming he had a 19 year old Thai
Thai
When used as an adjective, Thai refers to anything that originates from Thailand. As a noun it may refer to:* Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand* Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand...
boyfriend (his partner is actually 39 and Malaysian), though she denied making the false allegations of paedophilia to four residents. On 21 September 2007, she was found guilty on two counts fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 towards the prosecution costs.
Appeal
On 24 October 2007, Grell's supporters launched a campaign to finance her appeal but it was then reported that the Labour Party would pay her legal costs.On 27 November, The Independent newspaper quoted a party spokesman: "Following legal advice in the last few days, the Labour Party today withdrew its support for Miranda Grell's appeal." Criticism was levelled at the party for supporting Grell's appeal, in particular by gay rights campaigner and former Labour candidate Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
.
Grell's appeal hearing began on 28 November 2007 at Snaresbrook Crown Court before Judge Peter Birts QC and two lay magistrates. On 30 November, Grell's conviction for making false statements about another candidate to gain electoral advantage was upheld.
She vacated her seat and was banned from holding public office for three years. The by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for Leyton ward on 14 February 2008 was won by Liberal Democrat Winnie Smith.
Following the appeal verdict, Grell resigned from the Labour Party, her job working for the Deputy Mayor of London and from the Compass management committee, but still pleaded her innocence.