Cllr Mohammad Butt went head-to-head with Ann John OBE and won

The leader of Brent Council, Ann John OBE, has been ousted by her deputy.

Cllr Mohammad Butt was elected leader of the Labour-run administration at a Labour AGM on Friday (May 11). He won against Cllr Ann John OBE by 21 votes to 19.

Speaking after the vote, he said: “It is an honour to be elected to this position.

“I would like to pass my deepest thanks to my predecessor Cllr. Ann John and look forward to her continuing to be deeply involved in the borough that I know she has loved and served for many years.

“These are the toughest financial times in the history of Brent.

“I want to develop a new approach to the relationship between councillors and officers, between front and back benchers and between the Labour Party and our residents.

“I believe that the more united we are as a borough the more effective our fight back against this government will be.

“I stand for responsibility, fairness and the values of equality that underpin the Labour party and I look forward to beginning the hard work for Brent residents in my new role”.

Cllr Butt was previously deputy leader and in charge of the council’s finances.

He first won the Tokyngton ward council seat in 2006.