A Labour politician who lobbied for the Fire Brigades Union in Parliament was last night under fire for failing to declare her marriage to one of its senior policy officers.
Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana married the FBU’s Craig Lloyd last August – and then went on to speak up for key FBU demands in the Commons, including calling for more funding for fire services.
In the months leading up to the wedding, when the pair were living together in London, Corbynista Ms Sultana accepted a £10,000 donation from the union for her re-election campaign.
Both before and after the wedding she has also been the chair of the FBU’s Parliamentary Group, the union’s political campaign team.
Under the parliamentary code of conduct, MPs are meant to declare anything that could be seen to influence them as well as declaring any family members involved in lobbying the Government.
Last night, Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, said he had ‘no doubt’ that Ms Sultana should ‘declare that relationship as part of her interests as an MP’.
He added: ‘In the role that she admits that he has, clearly he is bound to have a dialogue with the MP about the issues and about his relationship with Ministers. So I think it would be absolutely appropriate for her to declare that relationship.’
Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: ‘Ms Sultana should declare this relationship in the interests of openness and transparency. As MPs, we all have a duty to let voters know if our family life has any bearing on our work at Westminster.’
Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana (right) married the Fire Brigades Union’s Craig Lloyd (left) last August – and then went on to speak up for key FBU demands in the Commons
In the months leading up to the wedding, when the pair were living together in London , Corbynista Ms Sultana (centre) accepted a £10,000 donation from the union for her re-election campaign (Pictured with Jeremy Corbyn and Mick Lynch)
Under the parliamentary code of conduct, MPs are meant to declare anything that could be seen to influence them as well as declaring any family members involved in lobbying the Government
Approached for comment by the MoS, Ms Sultana launched an astonishing attack on the Labour Party, making unsubstantiated and false claims that it was ‘a smear from the Labour right’ and that it was revenge for her remarks linking Peter Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein. She did not respond to repeated questions of whether she should have declared the relationship.
These latest revelations come just a week after the MoS revealed that Labour MP Mary Foy is in an undeclared relationship with militant former fireman Matt Wrack, who led the FBU for two decades until January.
Ms Foy introduced Early Day Motions on behalf of the union, had a union staff member seconded to her office and accepted its £2,000 donation – all while in a relationship with its boss. She has since referred herself to Parliament’s standards watchdog.
MPs are required to declare any relevant interests which ‘might reasonably be thought by others to influence’ their actions, according to the code of conduct.
They are also required to declare any family members involved in lobbying, including their spouses and ‘cohabiting partners’. Lobbying is defined as those working in a professional capacity to attempt to influence, or advise those who want to influence, the Government or public sector at any level. It is not limited to only those who are employed as lobbyists.
Mr Lloyd was behind an FBU guide called ‘how to lobby your MP’ published in 2022. In the guide, which told union members how to ask for their MPs’ support for union demands, his email was listed as being available to help ‘follow up on all contacts’ with politicians.
Approached for comment by the MoS, Ms Sultana (above) launched an astonishing attack on the Labour Party, making unsubstantiated and false claims that it was ‘a smear from the Labour right’ and that it was revenge for her remarks linking Peter Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein
Mr Lloyd (above) was behind an FBU guide called ‘how to lobby your MP’ published in 2022. In the guide, which told union members how to ask for their MPs’ support for union demands, his email was listed as being available to help ‘follow up on all contacts’ with politicians
As a senior researcher and policy officer, Mr Lloyd was involved in various FBU policy campaigns. Last year he was publicly thanked by a senior official for working on ‘the contribution that this union made to the Scottish Government’s budget considerations’.
He was also seconded by the FBU in 2021 to work with Momentum – a leftwing pressure group which campaigns to change the Labour Party – according to a report published by the Campaign for a Democratic FBU.
His wife Ms Sultana has called for ‘proper funding and resources’ for the fire service and has pledged her support for two Early Day Motions introduced on the FBU’s behalf in Parliament.
During the relationship, she also voted against a Bill requiring unions to provide minimum service levels during strikes – in line with FBU demands. Approached by the MoS, Ms Sultana refused to say whether she thought she should have declared the relationship.
Ms Sultana was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party last summer alongside six other Labour MPs after voting against the Government on the two-child benefit cap.
She said: ‘As the right wing of the Labour Party are devoid of principles, they can’t understand that I support the FBU and other trade unions not because of personal relationships or personal gain, but because I am a trade unionist. I’ve always stood with workers across the country long before I met my partner, who has never had a role lobbying MPs. His role in the FBU is Senior Researcher, which involves engaging with internal Labour Party processes and liaison with Ministers, neither of which involve me as a backbench MP.
Ms Sultana (above) was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party last summer alongside six other Labour MPs after voting against the Government on the two-child benefit cap
She said: ‘As the right wing of the Labour Party are devoid of principles, they can’t understand that I support the FBU and other trade unions not because of personal relationships or personal gain, but because I am a trade unionist’
‘Trade unions are not lobbyists. They represent working people, the majority of the public, unlike the lobbyists for private business and powerful Governments who have the ear of many other politicians, including Sir Keir Starmer. Unlike them, I don’t work for the wealthy or the well-connected.
‘This is nothing more than a desperate smear from the Labour right because I called out Peter Mandelson’s links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Morgan McSweeney for copying Enoch Powell’s fascist language. For reference: I wouldn’t use [the MoS] even if I ran out of toilet paper.’
Last night an FBU spokesman said: ‘The FBU is proud to campaign for and work closely with Labour MPs who champion the cause of workers’ rights at Westminster.
‘Our staff and officials played a pivotal role in campaigning to ensure that Labour’s General Election manifesto included a plan to extend employment rights such as banning zero-hour contracts and outlawing fire and rehire.
‘That was a highly positive intervention by the FBU and a huge step forward for working people.
‘The FBU’s funding of the Labour Party and election campaigns is completely transparent. It is the cleanest money in politics and is in stark contrast to that of the Tories and Reform UK who are bankrolled by the super rich.
‘Every political donation made by the union goes through a democratic process and is agreed by the FBU’s elected executive council.’
