A petition asking the Labour Party to reinstate a suspended councillor has reached over 35,000 signatures.

Cllr Gideon Bull, who represents White Hart Lane ward on Haringey Council, had the “whip withdrawn” for three months on 21 January, meaning he cannot attend Labour meetings until mid-April.

He was suspended after speaking out against the council over planned closures of adult care centres raised “concerns about comradely behaviour” according to Haringey Labour chief whip Liz McShane.

The move has sparked an angry response from both Labour members and the general public, with the petition on the care2 website having been signed 36,539 times at the time of writing.

The petition says: “Three Haringey day centres for adults with dementia have recently been earmarked for closure. When Cllr Bull dared to speak out against the cuts at a council meeting, he was punished with a three month suspension.

“Councillor Gideon Bull is passionate about local services, and was acting in good conscience when he spoke up for those with no other voice. 

“His suspension sends out the message that councillors are expected to follow the party line, rather than fight for the public good. If we want councillors who support their communities, they need to be able to speak out against injustices without fear of disproportionate reprisals.”

The campaign to reinstate Cllr Bull has gone both national and global, with petition signatories coming from countries across the world.

The national Labour party has also been drawn in, with tweets and emails being sent to the party’s head offices and to their leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

One such email has been sent by Elisa Brown, daughter of former Haringey Labour councillor Jean E Brown, who was a close friend of Cllr Bull.

In her email addressed to both Mr Corbyn and the Labour party, Ms Brown said she was surprised by the decision and “disgusted” by Cllr McShane.

She said: “I and others who know him, know him to be a passionate, dedicated person and councillor that thinks nothing of going out of his way to help others.

“Gideon Bull has been suspended by the party for standing up for his ward.  This is appalling behaviour from those in his own party. 

“Obviously Cllr McShane does not appreciate or understand Gideon Bull’s passion and concern for his ward. Did the White Hart Lane constituents vote Gideon Bull in to office to make friends, or to stand up for them and fight their corner?

“This decision has caused irreversible damage to the Labour Party. This is not a local issue now, it is national and shows a real lack of respect for the elderly, vulnerable and disabled, who now have one less person fighting their corner.”

Cllr Bull has also received support from the trade unions in Haringey, who have issued a statement backing him.

Haringey TUC Secretary Keith Flett said, “Of course we understand that the cuts are as a result of the Government’s austerity agenda and not something the council does as a matter of choice. That said a rather broader vision might have valued his statement from the backbenches as a point of principle, with any issues dealt with by a fraternal discussion not a suspension.”

In a statement issued last week, Cllr McShane said: “As the Chief Whip, I put forward the recommendation to withdraw the whip for three months from Cllr Bull following his interventions at the public Cabinet meeting on November 10 2015 which I believe demonstrated uncomradely behaviour and a disregard for the principles of collective responsibility which all Group members are required to abide by.

“I intend to work closely with Cllr Bull throughout his suspension, to hopefully avoid situations like this occurring again in future.”