A London borough leader has spoken out after one of his Labour councillors was ordered to pay £40,000 for hiring a worker illegally.
Hounslow councillor Hina Mir employed a nanny in her west London home who had no right to work in the UK and paid her in cash to perform household chores.
The qualified solicitor, who represents Feltham West, has been suspended by Labour Party and earlier this month had her attempt to overturn her fine rejected by the City of London County Court.
The former Hounslow deputy mayor is also reportedly being investigated for parking her BMW in a disabled bay at the council offices without a blue badge.
Hounslow council leader Shantanu Rajawat insisted that he and other senior members of his administration did not know about the Ms Mir's court case or her fined that was issued in January.
Before her suspension, Ms Mir was selected to run again as a Labour candidate in the May 2026 local elections.
Asked why the council was not aware of the illegal worker case for a year, Mr Rajawat told the LDRS: "I don't necessarily have an answer for that, except to say once we know about something like that happening, we will take action, or the [Labour] party will take action.
"We're a large group. And there is a number of people there, so we rely on people self-referring.
"With the best will in the world, as much as I'd love to sit there and search through court papers and stuff, it's just not possible for us to do."
Ms Mir was suspended by the Labour Party on December 9 but remains a councillor and is still Chair of Hounslow's Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel, a role that adds an extra £7,089-a-year to her basic allowance.
While she has not been convicted of a criminal offence, here colleague councillor Farhaan Rehman did resign his chairmanship of the borough's Licensing Committee after it emerged that he parked his Lamborghini in a disabled bay without a blue badge.
Mr Rajawat added: "There is a subtle difference between Cllr Rehman's position and Cllr Mir's position, and it is more a technicality than anything else in so far as Cllr Rehman was appointed by me as Chair of Licensing whereas Hina is elected by council - scrutiny is completely independent of the executive."
