Data reveals West Northants Council has U-turned and reinvested £15million of taxpayer money into human rights abusing Qatar

New data has revealed West Northants Council (WNC) has done a U-turn and reinvested £15 million into Qatar so far this year.

A freedom of information (FOI) request submitted by this newspaper shows that the Conservative-led WNC has reinvested £15million into the Qatar National Bank in 2023. The data shows the investments are set to mature in October, November and December.

In November 2022, a FOI investigation by the Guardian newspaper revealed that WNC had £21 million of taxpayers' money invested into the Qatar National Bank.

WNC pledged to boycott any further investments in Qatar following public outrage due to the country’s human rights abuses.

Councillor Malcolm Longley, cabinet member for finance at WNC, previously said: “Clearly the current World Cup has now caused a great deal of attention to be focused on Qatar. As a result of the reaction we have received from local people about this, we have been pro-active and determined we will not re-investing in the Qatar State Bank when the current investments mature.”

However, recent financial disclosures indicate that the council has once again invested millions of pounds into the Qatar National Bank throughout 2023.

The decision to reinvest in Qatar has ignited outrage among opposition councillors.

Labour councillor Danielle Stone said: “I am very disappointed to find that WNC is still investing in Qatar. When I was the finance spokeswoman for the Labour group of councillors I was assured that our investments were for small amounts, short term and due to expire. These are recent investments made after the level of abuse in Qatar was revealed. We need an ethical investment policy.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Jonathan Harris said: “This is extremely disappointing. Concerns about investments in Qatar in particular were raised in 2022 ahead of the men’s World Cup. My recollection is that we were assured that once the existing investments had matured there would be no further investments in this particular banking institution. That doesn’t seem to be the case based on the FOI data provided to the Chronicle and Echo.

“Qatar is listed in the treasury management policy statement as AA- rating, the lowest category rating for which the council considers investment, so there are plenty of other safer, greener and more ethical options.”

Councillor Sally Beardsworth, Lib Dem group leader, previously said: “Qatar’s record on LGBTQ+ rights is truly shocking. Male homosexuality is illegal in Qatar with a punishment of up to three years in prison and a fine and the possibility of death penalty for Muslims.

"The Qatari Government does not recognise same-sex marriage or civil partnerships, nor does it allow people in Qatar to campaign for LGBTQ+ rights. It makes a mockery of the council’s support for Northampton Pride."

Cllr Malcolm Longley, West Northamptonshire Council's Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “All of our investments are in line with our investments policy which was reviewed and agreed for the financial year 2023-24 in February 2023.“It’s important to emphasize that the council's treasury management activities have undergone scrutiny and review, with recommendations made by the Treasury Management Strategy Task and Finish Group. The recommendations concluded that WNC is conducting treasury management in accordance with the CIPFA Treasury Management Code of Conduct and appropriate risk management practices. There was no specific recommendation to cease investments in any specific Countries. Furthermore, no concerns were raised by opposition councillors when the full council meeting approved the investment policy earlier this year.“Our investment decisions prioritize the financial stability of our community. We aim to invest in highly rated banks to safeguard funds for essential services across our communities. We are committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and promoting inclusivity and fairness for all.”

On the state of affairs in Qatar, Amnesty International’s website says: “Migrant workers including domestic workers continued to face a range of abuses, including wage theft, forced labour, exploitation and abuse despite reforms. Authorities repressed freedom of expression to silence critical voices. Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice and needed the permission of a male guardian to study, travel or marry. Laws continued to discriminate against LGBTI people, putting them at risk of arrest and torture.”