What Was Brentford's Role in The Capture of Daniel Khalife?

Brentford West councillor Guy Lambert reports back

Daniel Khalife

September 15, 2023

After a rather full week Friday was a day to catch up. Someone I know who lives in Chiswick next to a public green was torn between worrying that a certain Iranian-related bloke who had left without permission from a big house in Wandsworth was lurking in the bushes and might break in, and hoping whether he might and lead to £20K reward.

As it turned out he rather prosaically left Chiswick and rode a bike up the canal path to an even-more prosaic Northolt. Did he start by the Holiday Inn? Did he hack a Lime bike? Did a Brentford snoop raise the alarm? We should be told. Anyway, he didn’t pinch mine and I am now undertaking slightly more ambitious rides which is good for my health (assuming I remain perpendicular) and my soul.

On Sunday we had our collective surgery at the Digital Dock. Attendance was a bit meagre but some pleasant people from Southall (which has a bit in Hounslow) trekked down to talk to me personally to raise some issues about them pesky Lime bikes – apparently the pen has been put where they wanted a disabled bay for her 99 and a half old mum. Most people give up mentioning the half when they get beyond 7, but I reckon a 99 year old and their daughter merits special attention. Not sure why they selected me as this is Katherine’s department so I passed them over, but as often is the case, it’s lovely to chat with people.

Monday I was off to Twickers, not to play any rugby but it did involve boots, in the form of Boots Audio team. I said my name and he asked me if I was 84 and living in Kingston. Nearly, for the first question, not at all for the second one. One of my dark secrets is that my first prename is Edwin, after my dad, grandad, great grandad etc in a long line of Lancashire butchers. My parents made my real name my second name (they said they were worried I’d be nicknamed Gel – I got EGG with a lot of worse nicknames) and this has caused confusion over the years (not 84 of them yet). So I send a friendly salute to Edwin Lambert of Kingston – a noble monicker if ever there was one. The arrangement with Boots when your hearing aid fails, is you book an appointment several weeks ahead which is then cancelled. You then book another one (after they don’t phone you as promised) and I was lucky on this occasion to get one almost immediately and in handy Twickenham. They then say, sorry we have to send it to the manufacturer - we’ll let you know when it’s back. Booters – a bit of management consultancy for free – just tell the punter to send it to the manufacturer and get the manufacturer to send it straight it back to him without needing to trouble Boots (or make the punter take another pointless trip) at any point!

Back for a brief Teams meeting with the Deputy CEO about Lampton, then a trip to Chiswick to pick up some papers from the doc and back for another Teams meeting about helping the parking problem in Orchard and Glenhurst (etc) roads.

In the evening over to Hounslow House for a meeting with the Labour Group, all very comradely.

On Tuesday evening, back to Hounslow House for an informal cabinet meeting. Again, largely uncontentious as we work through various things that will be developed over the coming months – to do with our companies, and our crime and behaviour management activities in partnership with the police.

Early on Wednesday, an update with the chair of Lampton – recently back from walking from Geneva to Nice which looked mildly mad from the pictures but he definitely enjoyed - then off to W Middlesex for a clinic about my collar bone. Quick X-ray and a chat with a doctor. He claimed that my injury is improving (I couldn’t really see much difference) but it doesn’t hurt and nobody has yet called me Quasimodo.

Home for a catch up with my Exec Director under Teams as usual. Afterwards I thought I’d go and have a quiet drink in my local and something to eat but the Black Dog was a hungry dog until late in the afternoon so I had to make do with a wee beer.

On the way home I spotted a major upgrade in the garage opposite: where there had once been a 1950s Renault there was now what looks to me like a Ferrari from 2007. One week there’s 2 Bentley convertibles squabbling over a parking space on the High Street and now we have a Ferrari lurking on Albany Road. Not so many years ago I wrote home to mum when there was a Cortina Ghia seen in Brentford.

Then another Teams meeting (popular as the Daily Express this week) about the Lampton companies.

And in the evening, up to the Free Church (someone thinks it means free parking for his car but that’s not the idea!) for a longish presentation for the Brentford Town Centre plan and a lot of questions from local people. Many were constructive, some positive and some negative and I hope the planners learnt something.

So that’s been my week. Quite relaxed as they go and I’m finishing this about lunch time on Thursday, something I haven’t achieved for a while.

I’ll take a ride around Brentford, see what’s cooking and end up late afternoon at the Salopian Garden in Isleworth. Lovely.

Councillor Guy Lambert