Like John Biggs, I thought the Labour selection would be done and dusted by now. Unike Mr Biggs, I’m not rearranging my hols.
Last night’s decision to include MichaelKeith, Rosna Mortuza and Helal Abbas on the mayoral shortlist will certainly liven things up.
Somehow, though, I don’t think we’ve yet heard the last of Lutfur Rahman. I get the feeling he’s now finished within Labour and I don’t think he’ll be selected by the party hierarchy for anything significant ever again.
Happy hols to all.
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Abbas… does he remember having anything to do with Spitalfields Housing Association? I think there was something about it on Page 13 of the East London Advertiser, January 28th 2005: “Investigation probes ‘dead voters’ claim”. Or may be it was on page 6 of the East London Advertiser, April 21 2005: “Council leader quizzed on dead voters fraud”.
And in case anyone’s forgotten those happy days of his last leadership, check out page 7 of the East London Advertiser from August 26th 2004 “Councillors linked with firm in police fraud probe” and November 25 2004 – “Council clash over fraud probe claims” and April 21 2005 “Call for probe into councillors” and see how helpful Abbas was in getting to the bottom of it (compare the fates of Abdul Asad and Kumar Murshid in relation to MATT)…. it seemed important at the time but probably a bit boring and passe now.
Happy hols. I,ll keep you up to speed on what is happening. It is generally accepted within the Labour Party that Andrew Gilligans last blog about Lutfur’s choice of solicitor holed him below the waterline.
He really has shown himself to be a totally incompetent operator all the way through this. He could have gone to any high street lawyer and briefed him but instead chose one linked to Omar Bakri who had also called for the killing of British servicemen. If being stupid was an olympic event this guy could be stupid for Bangladesh, he is world class.
At a series of private meetings yesterday the general concensus is that it is evens that Lutfur will stand as an independent. The rational,if it can be called that, is that if Labour brought Livingstone back into the fold then they would do the same with him were he to be elected Mayor.
The only thing he can be sure of is that he will continue to be elected for Banglatown and Spitalfields as a councillor but of course if he stands as an independent for Mayor he will lose that nomination as well.
I think sitting councillors are disqualified from standing – so he’d have to resign his seat in adavance of an election (as would Abbas and Shiria)
Ted – Shiria Khatun is still on the list as well, but Sirajul Islam has been dropped.
In relation to the first comment it was Abbas who first of all brought in forensic accountants to look at a number of schemes which the council were funding where there was suspicion of fraud.
It was the auditors who brought in the police who eventually charged a number of people three of whom went to prison. One of those in the dock but who was found not guilty was Kumar Murshid, at the time advisor to Livingstone on Asian affairs.
He has been singing the same song as Lee Jasper ever since that it was all a racist conspiracy and that he was exonerated. Unfortunately, as in the Jasper affair, there were huge chunks of public money unaccounted for.
I am afraid the tone of the first article seems to imply that Abbas was under investigation which is the opposite of what actually happened.
Hi Terry, if you read the articles you’ll see what I mean.
Lutfur Rahman has sent out emails insisting that he has been shortlisted for the Labour candidacy. What gives?
“If being stupid was an olympic event this guy could be stupid for Bangladesh, he is world class.”
That’s just made my day!