Labour’s Selection Dilemma

Newham in a financial crisis; redundancies; increased dissatisfaction with the council; increased taxes; new charges for residents; a Labour Group riven with antisemitism and Islamophobia; the local Labour Parties suspended.

You’d think that these issues might occupy some of the time of our local political leaders.

It seems not.

The BIG ISSUE is who will Labour choose to be the mayoral candidate, closely followed by who will choose the council candidates.

Some weeks ago. John Saunders (secretary of WH CLP) wrote to the London Region of the Labour Party asking for the suspension of West Ham to be lifted.

We are told that this letter has been followed by one from East Ham MP, Stephen Timms and GLA Member, Unmesh Desai. 

We understand that Mayor Fiaz was invited to add her name, but declined.

She hasn’t given a reason, so we can only speculate. It seems that she is a little worried that the members of the Labour Party might not be as keen on her representing them now as they were three years ago, so she is banking on the Party apparatus to slot her in. In this age of identity over ideology or even competence, she is betting that they won’t have the guts to get rid of a woman from an ethnic minority, whereas the members might.

We understand that the Trinity Centre will be the venue for East Ham members to meet with their elected leaders to discuss the situation and urge for an end to the suspension of the parties. It seems that Mayor Fiaz might well put in an attendance in order to show her support for the campaign. Just like she supported the campaign to end the mayoralty!