The leader of Basildon’s Labour Party is being hauled in front of a standards committee after falsely accusing a rival councillor of disclosing confidential information.

Gavin Callaghan responded to the charge by claiming he was not free until November 2022 - but has been ordered to appear tomorrow instead.

Councillor Callaghan is accused of breaching the council’s code of conduct.

Councillor Chris Jackman made a complaint against the Labour leader in December last year after he made comments on social media accusing Mr Jackman of leaking confidential documents to the Echo.

The comments were made while Mr Callaghan was leader of the council and related to documents about the removal of illegal traveller caravans in Hovefields.

Councillor Callaghan will be called to explain his behaviour although the chairman of the standards committee has admitted they have no actual power to do anything about it.

Last year he took to Twitter and accused Mr Jackman, who had been quoted in the article, of being a “liar who is trying to jeopardise the council’s efforts to clear Hovefields”.

The Echo refused to reveal their source but the Labour leader was informed Mr Jackman was not involved before Councillor Callaghan went on to accuse the paper of “protecting a bent councillor”.

After the innocent Councillor Jackman launched his complaint Mr Callaghan first said he was not free for four years and when asked to answer 18 questions in ten weeks refused to do so and claimed to have been “out of the country”.

Councillor Kevin Blake, chairman of the Joint Standards Committee, said: “The problem with the joint standards board is it has no teeth, it needs to be given some powers otherwise it can achieve very little.

“We should not be limited to just saying please don’t do it again.

“For councillor Callaghan to tell the investigating officer that he can’t meet them until 2022, irrespective of whether you are guilty, is pathetic and undermines the standards board. We try to give people ample opportunity to reply but we are not going to wait until 2022 for anyone.”

Mr Callaghan said: “I like Chris Jackman and like me he is a hardworking and diligent councillor who is passionate about standing up for his community. Sometimes our passion for ensuring our residents get a fair deal from the council can land us in hot water.

“The releasing of confidential information last December badly damaged the council’s chances of taking the most effective action against the illegal traveller development.”

Councillor Jackman said: “I think the evidence speaks for itself, I think he was naïve and jumped the gun. I think a simple apology is sufficient and hopefully he has learnt his lesson.”