Ealing Labour has criticised a Conservative Pitshanger ward council candidate ahead of next month’s local elections (7 May 2026) after she said the UK’s housing crisis could be addressed by “deporting six million people”.
The party posted an undated clip from a TikTok video by Grace Hunter, sharing it on social media platforms including X and Facebook. The footage carries a TikTok watermark, although the original video no longer appears to be available on the platform.
In the clip, Ms Hunter speaks about housing, saying: “The solution to our housing problem isn’t building six million more houses… it’s deporting six million people.”
Labour has used the clip to criticise Ms Hunter, claiming she “supports mass deportations” and urging voters to reject what it describes as “divisive politics” ahead of polling day.
Ealing Council, which has been run by Labour since 2010, has 56 Labour councillors, alongside eight Liberal Democrats, four Conservatives and two independents. Three seats are being contested in Pitshanger ward, all currently held by Labour.
Councillor Ben Wesson, one of the three Labour councillors representing Pitshanger ward, said in a post on X: “That’s not the Ealing I know. We’re a community built on respect, fairness and looking out for each other – not disgusting and divisive rhetoric like ‘mass deportations’. If you care about our borough, vote Labour on 7 May.”
In a separate post on X, Councillor Peter Mason, leader of Ealing Council and Ealing Labour, said the election should not be a choice between “extreme-Left or the extreme-Right”, adding that Labour would stand up to “hate and division”.
Also commenting on X, Bassam Mahfouz, Labour London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon, said: “This is sickening… language the National Front and BNP would be proud of, but now it’s mainstream for the Conservatives in Ealing.”
Ms Hunter said in December 2025, after being selected by Ealing Conservatives to stand in Pitshanger ward: “Having lived in Pitshanger all my life, I’m standing to be your councillor because I’m passionate about protecting this beautiful area and improving it further. I want my voice and others around me to be represented and listened to. Let’s deliver the change which Pitshanger needs after fifteen years of Labour failure.”
An Ealing Conservatives spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “This doesn’t reflect Ealing Conservative policy. The Conservative Party has been clear that all illegal arrivals would be deported within a week of their arrival as well as deporting foreign criminals.
“This election is a choice between more Labour failure or Ealing Conservatives who will build a borough that is safer, cleaner and more prosperous for everyone.”
Full coverage of the Ealing Council local elections and candidates standing, can be found here.
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