Harrow Labour have suspended one of their candidates for the upcoming council elections after it emerged he was a self-confessed fraudster.
The party leader David Perry held crunch talks with Canons ward candidate Yogalingam Dayanamby on Saturday after discovering that he had been convicted of defrauding Harrow Council in 2007 for north of £800.
Over three years, Mr Dayanamby falsely claimed council tax benefit after failing to declare he owned a second property, and was sentenced to a three-month curfew restricting the hours he is allowed out of his home.
A London Labour Party spokesman said: "Following a meeting between David Perry, the leader of Harrow Labour Group, senior party officers and Yogalingam Dayanamby earlier today the Labour Party have taken immediate action to suspend Yogalingam Dayanamby from representing the party.
"The Labour Party expects all its candidates to meet the highest standards and will continue take action where appropriate when information to the contrary comes to light."
Voters will still be able to elect Mr Dayanamby however, as the party only heard of his conviction shortly following the official deadline for candidate nominations and withdrawals on Thursday afternoon.
The party are insisting however that he no longer has their support, and will not be welcome in joining them to canvass ahead of the election on May 22.
getwestlondon understand that potential candidates are invited to declare if they have any previous convictions before becoming a candidate, however Labour are claiming he did not disclose his conviction to them.
Mr Dayanamby is entitled to stand as a councillor however, as the rules only indicate that a conviction would prevent a candidate from standing if they have served a prison sentence of more than three months which was less than five years prior to the election.
