More Cracks Appearing in Newham Labour?

We learn that there has been a falling out at the top of Mayor Fiaz’s administration. 

Arguably the most able and certainly one of the most popular cabinet members was one Terry Paul. He was rewarded for his help in the 2018 Fiaz campaign with the portfolio for Finance. This is probably the most important and the highest status role. (The Deputy Mayor might sound like its higher, but what did she do all day?)

So, we come to the days after the election when Mayor Fiaz had to choose between the 63 Labour councillors in the selection of her cabinet, (more on this later). Remarkably, some 28 of the present Labour Group have no previous experience of elected public service, (that’s right, 44% are completely new). Of the remainder, over a third have only one term in office and there are reasons why some of them have never advanced beyond the backbenches.

So, although she has a large basket to choose from, those with ability and experience are limited.

Not unreasonably, Cllr Paul anticipated being offered the same role in the new administration. He’d been doing a decent job in the role. It seems that Mayor Fiaz and he had different ideas about this.

A conversation occurred between them, and whilst this is not verbatim, we are assured that this abbreviated rendition covers the main points of their voluble conversation.

Fiaz: I want to move you from Finance.

Paul: What? Why?

Fiaz: I want someone else in the role.

Paul: Who?

Fiaz: Zulfiqar Ali. 

Paul: What? You have got to be kidding me.

Fiaz: I can offer you Children’s Services (some of our sources say Adults)

It is fair to say that Cllr Paul was stunned at the insult and the demotion, and a huge row broke out between himself and Fiaz in which the air in the immediate vicinity turned blue. We understand that Cllr Paul opined that Fiaz was “not fit to be mayor”, (we seem to have heard that before). 

We are told that Cllr Paul ‘stormed’ out of the Dockside HQ telling the mayor where she could shove her offer. 

In response Mayor Fiaz told Paul to “fuck off” from Newham as she doing three terms, and he and his career is finished in the borough.

We are informed that understandably, Cllr Paul now sees himself as part of the internal opposition to the mayor. One disgruntled former cabinet member shouldn’t be too much of a problem, save that it isn’t simply one. An increasing number of experienced councillors have fallen out with Ms Fiaz. They have the history and knowledge to make her second term a lot more uncomfortable and they bridge the pro/anti Wales divide. A question remains as to whether some of those with the ability to think for themselves will join them or whether they will prefer to take the mayor’s shilling.

Implications for the borough. 

The first is in terms of Fiaz herself. Deliberately or otherwise, she has let it slip that she wants to stand for a third term (heaven help us). 

Having begun her assent to greatness on the basis that she wanted to abolish the mayoralty, once in office she began to feel that it was better to keep the role (as long as she occupied it), but she would only serve two terms. Now it seems that she has had another change of heart and wants to do three terms (or more?).

Linked to this is the group upon whom she appears to be relying in order to get reselected. (This will be the subject of its own article, but think, how did Lutfer Rahman manage it?)

The second is how well the council will operate. At one level it will go on just fine. The officers will do their jobs; the roads will get swept (occasionally); the schools will open; plumbers will still fix leaky pipes in council homes.

However, the political direction of the council will halt. Transformation work will stagnate. Innovation will cease. Arguably, there wasn’t that much to start with, but if politicians are not there to challenge orthodoxy and champion new ideas, what are they there for. What value do they add?

We can look forward to a prolonged period of internecine conflict in the ruling Labour Group.

We have seen the beginnings of disillusionment amongst Newham’s Labour voters, who flocked away from Fiaz at this election. She seems determined to push them further away.

Cllr Paul shared his resignation statement on Twitter.