Labour Has Chosen
Labour has now decided upon its candidates for the 2022 local elections in May. It seems like a victory for Mayor Fiaz who has cleared out almost all of those connected to the ancien regime and imported a number who will be unfamiliar to readers, and to most of the local Labour Party!
They have also imported a number of ‘awkward’ comrades, whilst definitely not friends of the previous mayor, they may yet be a thorn in the side of the current incumbent.
For those who see things in terms of ‘blocks’; the Bangladeshis have increased in number although at the expense of three liberally minded Bangladeshi sitting councillors. Pakistanis have seen their numbers sliced, not surprising given the mass exodus of the group which formerly controlled East Ham CLP under the umbrella of East Ham Momentum. The Black Caucus seems to have increased its membership. Labour seems to have run out of women, again, and appear to have chosen new blood over experience; or maybe it is that they simply didn’t want to have anyone who would raise questions so nine sitting female candidates were ousted or chose to leave and no ex-councillors were chosen, with the bizarre exception of Rohima Rahman, despite some having an outstanding track record. (Nine should now read ten, see Ayesha Siddiqah below)
We are told that some 230 people applied to become councillors. It is heartening to see such commitment to public service. Of course, it may be that the attraction is more for the generous allowances than to democracy in action. But that would be churlish to suggest.
Apparently, “Due to the large number and high quality of the applications received, as well as the relatively small number of candidates to be selected who are not already Councillors, representatives nominated by the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee went through the applications submitted and selected candidates for interview.” The “relatively small number” turns out to be about 40%, not you might think, a particularly small number. Just in case this remains opaque, what it means is that roughly two-thirds of the applicants were not interviewed.
So, here we go with the team that Labour will be presenting to the electorate:
Mayor; Rokhsana Fiaz. ‘Nuff said.
It’s a Family Affair
There are several new joint family candidacies.
Harvinder Virdee representing Boleyn looks likely to be joined by his son, Amar Virdee in Green Street West, helpfully displacing Hanif Abdulmuhit. The inclusion of Amar has surprised some members. At a time when the requirement to put up pictures on facebook with a bundle of leaflets in hand is more important than competence, members have remarked upon how scare Amar has been. But that will all change now.
Anthony (Tony) McAlmont (currently Royal Docks) and candidate for the new ward of Royal Albert will be welcoming his wife, Jemima McAlmont who has been imposed as a candidate in Wall End.
In what must be the most interesting of the family connections, Mohammed Muzibur Rahman of Green Street East will be joined by his wife Rohima Rahman in Beckton, where she replaces Ayesha Chowdhury, the longstanding local representative who must be rueing the day she helped the then unknown James Asser to get a seat. The Rahmans have an interesting history. Both were under a cloud given police investigations and allegations of child neglect, such that former councillor Rohima was barred, we understand by the then LP Gen. Sec., Jennie Formby from standing in the 2018 election. Formby, we are told, also tried to exclude Mohammed, but he managed to submit his forms to the council before the Labour Party apparatus could take control. Labour were then left with the interesting situation where they were lumbered with a candidate they no longer wanted, so he didn’t appear on any of the election material, although when elected, he did have the Labour whip. All that is behind them now and apparently forgiven and forgotten.
Where’s Rahman????
Daniel Lee-Pharoke remains in Plaistow North and his wife, Carlene Lee-Pharoke continues in Plaistow South. Bases from which they continue to develop the emerging Black Caucus in Newham and where they have the current record as the highest joint earners on Newham Council and Carlene sets her sights on the top job.
Some Old Faces
James Asser remains at Beckton, where he is likely to face a challenge from the Greens and Save City Farm coalition. Looking at the Green (lack of) activity, it seems that he will be fairly safe. But then, he is widely believed to have been behind sticking the knife into ward colleague, Ayesha Chowdhury, so what will happen to her personal vote is anyone’s guess.
Tonii Wilson remains in Beckton.
Shaban Mohammed, the lack-lustre Cabinet Member for Housing remains in Canning Town North
Rohit Dasgupta, Alan Griffiths and (Newham’s own citizen revolutionary and fan of the well-known democrat Nicolas Maduro), Belgica Guana remain in Canning Town South. We understand that a move to replace the embarrassing Guana was foiled when the Labour Party failed to recruit sufficient women. Her support for “progressive” war mongers like Putin and Assad does not seem to have been sufficient to alienate her from the Labour Party machine. And, in case you are wondering, the giant embracing Guana is none other than that well known democrat and peacenik, Nicolas Maduro. Yes, the one who stole an election and shot the protesters.
Cabinet members, James Beckles (of Stratford) and Sarah Ruiz (Labour-Respect-Labour again, of Forest Gate) stay put in Custom House.
Aisha Siddaqah a teacher with deep roots in the Gren St community, remains at East Ham, (though her husband was evicted from Green Street West). Well, this was the case until Sunday 27th March, when she resigned her place in protest at the party’s selection debacle. She is understood to have decided to concentrate on her career as an educator. Both competent and with a gift for engaging with people she was once tipped as a future mayor and her decision will leave Newham the poorer.
Susan Masters and Lakmini Shah stay in East Ham South, though we are given to understand that there was a strong move to oust Shah, (a strong community champion associated with Wales), which was only defeated by the intervention of local MP, Stephen Timms.
Sasha Das Gupta stays at Forest Gate North, which just goes to show how liberal the Labour Party has become with regard to past conduct which ‘might embarrass the Labour Party’. Mind you, she seems to have weathered the storm and her photograph has been reinstated on the Newham website. She is joined by sitting councillor, Rachel Tripp in what is now a 2-seat ward.
Anam Islam is shunted to Forest Gate South, despite we understand, his being investigated by the Labour Party for allegations of antisemitism. Winston Vaughan, the incredible survivor and octogenarian sitting councillor continues beside him.
Mumtaz Khan remains in Green Street West.
Mariam Dawood stays put alongside Salim Patel in Manor Park where they are joined by Jennifer Bailey who comes to them from Wall End.
Zulfiqar Ali stays in Plaistow North alongside Joy Laguda. The latter, regarded with affection by most of the Labour Group, a cabinet member under Wales and Chair of Council under Fiaz is something of a surprise given her recent stroke.
Jane Lofthouse, (sudden replacement for Rohima Rahman in 2018) and Neil Wilson remain in Plaistow South.
Zuber Gulamussen is moved from East Ham North to Plashet. Ann Easter is shunted from Canning Town North to Royal Albert. Stephen Brayshaw stays in the Royals, with a seat in the new ward of Royal Victoria.
The two wannabe MPs, Joshua Garfield and Terry Paul remain in Stratford, where they can bide their time awaiting the call of greatness. The dynamics between Newham’s two most prominent Zionists and their new pro-Palestinian running mate will be interesting to observe. Nareser Osei goes to the new ward of Stratford Olympic Park.
Lester Hudson s probably unique (in several ways), but he remains the sole survivor of the team that took Robin Wales to power in the mid-90s. This former Cabinet Member for Finance has retained his seat in Wall End, though we understand, only just, and again with the intervention of a certain Stephen Timms MP.
John Gray stays at West Ham, though we are given to believe that there was a serious attempt to get rid of him, which if true, seems a little churlish given that he was the architect of Fiaz’s assent. He is joined by sitting councillors Charlene McLean, who replaced him as Deputy Mayor (and who also has her eyes on the top job) and Corbynite grey-beard, John Whitworth.
Pushpa Makwana moves to Plashet from Little Ilford
Twenty-Five New Faces (in addition to the Family Connections)
There are some 28 (29 when Siddiqah is replaced) completely new members to Labour’s team for the 2022 elections. Here we give the briefest overview to the newcomers that we know. More information will be shared as it becomes available. This selection is remarkable in, not simply the number of new faces, but the number who are largely unknown.
Mohammed Osman Gani: Boleyn. The unpleasantness over his past connection to the troubled Spitalfields Housing Association seems to be history now leaving him free to go for a long-coveted seat on council.
Cecilia Welsh: Boleyn
Rita Chadha, a charity manager has a strong history of supporting refugees and asylum seekers, though she is inclined to see racism under every toadstool. Canning Town is a surprising choice for this new candidate and she might, in time, prove to be a little too ideologically Corbynite for the current mayor. Still, it may be that she was useful in aiding the eviction of Delphine Tohoura, who became ‘awkward’ when she alleged bullying at the hands of her cabinet member colleague, Shaban Mohammed. Chadha is the first of two new faces in CTN, where she is joined by another long-time wannabe councillor Alison Davenport, who was clearly helpful in shunting sitting councillor Ann Easter further south, though we are not sure how well she will represent the people of Canning Town from her home in Lincolnshire.
Thelma Odoi: Custom House
Olufemi Falola: East Ham
Haque Imamul: East Ham
Mussawar Alam: East Ham South
Madeleine Sarley Pontin: Forest Gate South
Larisa Kilickaja: Green Street East. Larisa is one of those candidates who seem to have arrived from nowhere. We understand that she was one of a second tranche who were interviewed when the Labour Party ran out of women candidates. We know little to nothing about her, which makes the following observation a little unfair, but we are told, by those who claim to know, that her interview was ‘appalling’ leaving her subject to the belief (rightly or wrongly) that the only reason she is on the panel is because of her sex, or gender, or whatever we call it now. One question that comes to mind is whether she is a member of a trade union. If not, it will add grist to the mill of disgruntled and litigious LP members who were excluded from the process because they lacked a union card.
Miraj Patel Green: Street East
Lewis Godfrey: Green Street West
Nur Nahar Begum: Little Ilford
Elizabeth Booker moves to Little Ilford for her first shot at the council. Younger, a charity manager and bright. They could do much worse.
Abul Bashar Syed: Little Ilford
Caroline Corben: Maryland
Ken Penton: Maryland
Dina Hossain: is a new face for a new ward and has found a berth in Plaistow West & Canning Town East. We are not 100% sure of this yet, but we are told that Ms Hossain actually resides in South London and for the purposes of selection, registered herself at her mother’s rented address in Newham. There is a Labour Party rule that you have to live in the borough that you represent, but then the Labour Party enforces some rules when it wants and others when it doesn’t, so it probably doesn’t matter that much. Its not as if she is living in a flat in Hackney Wick.
John Morris: Plaistow West & Canning Town East
Simon Rush, the somewhat pedantic and “anti-cyclist” local GMB member gets a shot at the new ward in Plaistow West & Canning Town East.
Caroline Adaja: Royal Victoria
Sabia Kamali goes to Stratford. Apparently a Fiaz loyalist who stands this time for Labour. Having failed to get a seat in Newham standing for Galloway’s Respect Party she then stood, over the border for Lutfer Rahman’s party, Tower Hamlets First. Still, it doesn’t matter what the party is as long as you get a seat. We will observe the relationship of this staunchly ‘pro-Palestinian’ member with her running mates, arguably Newham’s staunchest Zionists.
Muhammed Ravat: Stratford Olympic Park
Luke Charters: Wall End. Who?
Some of the strange choices can be explained by the fact that a panel from Labour’s NEC made the choices, with little understanding of the nuances of Newham and its communities. Normally the decision would be made by party members in local wards. Some changes seem to be because of the influence of Mayor Fiaz, seeking to increase support and reduce the number of those who might be critical.