Well, that’ll teach me to go to the gym: while I’d shut myself away for a couple of hours, Labour’s NEC was doing its own bit of exercise in power.
Apologies if credit is due elsewhere, but I think [UPDATED Weds, Sep 22]Operation Black Vote broke the story that Lutfur Rahman has been suspended as Labour’s candidate for the elected mayor of Tower Hamlets.
Here’s the press release from Labour HQ:
NEWS FROM LONDON LABOUR PARTY
Following a meeting of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee today, a spokesperson said:
“Having received a number of serious allegations concerning both the eligibility of participating voters and the conduct of Lutfur Rahman, the NEC has decided to investigate the allegations made.
“As a result, administrative action has been taken to remove Lutfur Rahman as a candidate pending the investigation. Nominations for Tower Hamlets mayor close this week and in the circumstances the NEC had no option but to impose another candidate.
“The NEC has voted to select Helal Abbas Uddin as Labour’s candidate.”
Nominations for candidates for mayor close at noon on Friday, which leaves less than 72 hours for further developments. And there will be.
Here’s what has happened. The London Labour party recently received a lawyer’s letter on behalf of one of the losing candidates containing what a Labour source told me was a “lengthy and detailed” list of allegations about the eligibility of party members who voted for Lutfur in the selection process. I understand that one of the question marks is over a family member of Lutfur’s.
Contributions to that dossier were made by a number of the losing candidates. I can also reveal that the lawyer who presented the dossier was instructed by none other than Helal Abbas, the current council leader and the man that the party has now imposed as its candidate.
You’ll recall that Lutfur’s winning margin in the vote earlier this month was massive. In his winning fifth round, he had a margin of 182 over the second placed candidate, John Biggs. For ease of reference, that fifth round result was: Lutfur 433, Biggs 251, Abbas 157. Some of the losing candidates quite frankly did not believe the result and suspected foul play.
So how big “lengthy” exactly was the list in the Abbas dossier? According to my source, “more than 100 voters”. Which is indeed big.
The NEC considered two main things this morning:
1. The dossier and the propriety of Lutfur’s win.
2. Lutfur’s record as council leader from 2008-2010: according to one well placed source, “there were worries about the friends he kept”.
These are incredibly serious allegations and two things are highly likely (and fully expected by Labour HQ):
1. Lutfur will be consulting his lawyers right now. There is a strong chance that this will go to the High Court again.
2. If Lutfur is not a candidate he repeatedly describes as “the great Labour party”, he will run as an independent…or even Respect.
UPDATE – 6pm, Tuesday
Cllr Helal Abbas is not wasting anytime getting his new campaign into gear. He has sent this text to party members this afternoon. He’s holding a rally at 7pm tonight. Wonder if Lutfur will be going.
Dear comrades, we are inviting you to the Tower Hamlets Mayoral Campaigns meeting today the 21st Sept 2010, 7 pm @ Labour party rooms, 349 cambridge heath road, london E2. With very best regardr, Cllr Helal Abbas, Leader of the Concil
Trial by Jeory 
Why did the third placed candidate get picked instead? Who decided?
According to senior Labour source, NEC wanted to avoid accusations of racism. The other main contenders are actually relaxed about the decision.
For the very obvious reason that he’s white and choosing him would’ve left an open goal for Rahman and friends to scream about Islamophobia. It’s bad luck on Bigga but so it goes.
Hm, typo, meant Biggs obviously.
[…] Heres Teds piece; Lutfur Rahman: Abbas wields the knife […]
OMG I am shocked. Shame on the Labour Party – just goes to show that democracy is just a loose word. Lufur should definitely stand as an Independent (no one knows who Abbas is, other than his paid suporters of course) and do a Ken Livingston. I’ll certainly register a protest vote.
…and just another thought: we go around trying to export democracy to other countries and look whats happening in our own back yard.
Shame on you Labour. Shame on you. This is nothing but a victory for racism and bigotry.
Ted,
You obviously understand what’s going on here. Abbas and his mates got the NEC to back him depite the ballot by quwestioning the legitimacy of the vote. Abbas has form in this regard, as he has challenged selections in the past. Many of his alllies are up to their neck in electoral malpractice. Bill Turner’s name has come up regularly. He supported Shiria Khatun in the selection. There are unresolved questions about voters in her house during the locval elections.
None of this is new. Packing membership of the Labour Party goes back decades. The Bengalis are simply learning the tricks that Irish and Jewish Labour activists practicised in the past.
The problem for the old style ‘machine politicians’ like Abbas and Michael is that they can never hold onto their popularity for ever. Their electoral appeal fades when people learn of their misdeeds. Then they loose support and claim thie opponents are using the same tricks they have always used.
What’s happened this time is that they have very powerful allies amongst the leadership contenders.
The real story you should be following is why Rushnara objected to Lutfur and what more is involved in that. If your half the journalist you claim to be you’ll follow that story and find a surprising answer.
Clue: who’s working on EdM campaign?
A major point that everyone seems to have missed out is that if there was membership irregularities for which reason Abbas has now been imposed (which there was as everyone knew about those irregularities as THH has been in special measures for the last 10 years), all the candidates participated in this process knowing that and the Labour Party facilitated it, they have to accept the result as they entered that election knowing the flaws.
As mentioned TH labour party has been in special measures for 10+ years due to its membership issues and for the last 3 local elections they imposed all the candidates from London Labour Party. Labour NEC knew this about the membership, thus they should let the results stand.
If they don’t then it clearly shows that the NEC are acting as dictators who didn’t get the result that they wanted and are now using the membership flaws as a way of imposing their choice of candidate.
All of this makes a mockery of the democracy that we seem so proud of that we kill thousands of innocents across the world so we can export this democracy to them.
No new information has come out for them to take the action that they have and effectively dismiss the election result and impose a candidate.
I don’t know Stuart who’s working on EM’s campaign
TH Campaign officer secretary ec member on here gossiping what disgrace. You bring shame on the party and your office resign.
I would have thought the fair and open thing to do would have been, if there are allegations against a candidate, to put them to him in an open investigation and give him a chance to respond to the allegations.
If the NEC really did consider “Lutfur’s record as council leader from 2008-2010: according to one well placed source, “there were worries about the friends he kept”.” then that is outrageously anti-democratic. The NEC should not be interfering in members’ decisions, whatever they think of them, unless there is some genuine procedural reason (proven, not based on gossip).
Problem is there is no time to put anyone through an open investigation, give them a chance to respond to allegations and decide whether to keep them as candidate or select/impose somebody else instead. The actual election is on 21st October – a month away.
And that is part of the problem – there seem to be an underlying assumption that the mayoralty is Labour’s (possibly with Respect) and the election is a beauty pageant of individuals.
We’re still fighting about the selection contest at a time when we should be fighting an election contest against at least two other parties, trying to convince the local undecided population why they should vote Labour rather than trying to persuade the local Labour members why they should support either Lutfur or Helal.
What does it take to get a comment approved on the OBV blog? Why are they so upset at one BME candidate being replaced by another? I have commented on the importance of the national parties making a stand against extremist entryism in local government, but a day later, my comment is still in moderation.
Are you alleging that Lutfur Rahman is an extremist entryist?
Got any evidence?
PS links to Andrew Gilligan’s paranoid nonsense doesn’t count.
PPS mind the libel laws.
Did I allege that? I think the evidence from some of those supporting, and their wider attitude to Labour, is strong, and Respect’s actions speak volumes. I’m not one-sided on this issue – if the BNP stood aside because they thought the Conservative candidate was a sound chap, that would be cause for concern too.
Oh I see, you must have been referring to one of the other candidates with your reference to “the importance of the national parties making a stand against extremist entryism in local government”. I’m sure you can pardon me for leaping to the wrong conclusion.
[…] the Miliband connection? Labour party activist Stuart Madewell last night made the following cryptic comment on this blog: […]
I absolutely believe that the democratic right of labour party members (this excludes Respect candidates, activists, and members)to select candidates is imperative, and that is why I believe that this course of un-desirable action by the NEC is neccessary upon this occassion, and infact has been long overdue during this mayoral candidate selection process.
The membership of the Labour party should not be open to abuse by the process of ‘farmed members’as I posted on my facebook account on 4 September. Everyone who now makes claims of injusticecs and abuse of democracy should perhaps also take a very close look at the hoards of people who were drafted to Labour CLP HQ on 4 September, and did’nt have a clue where the door was simply because they had never taken any active interest in party politics. We hardly manage to get branch meetings in my ward of Whitechapel Quorate yet, when it comes to the AGM to elect officers, we cannot accommodate the turnout in the room. officers are elected, and then we never see them again until the following AGM – that is the real situation with membership at the moment, and it is nor fair upon genuine members to have to feel demoralised as a result.
The fact that the group of people who call themselves Respect who simply fronted the initial referendum to change to a directly elected mayor could not even identify a candidate from their own party is bonkers. Their devine support for Lutfur Rahman for Mayor further demonstrates why the NEC should have concerns of the direction BG&B constituency is directing towards. Having had a spell in Respect myself, I think it is right for me to state that I know how many of their people operate, and also how many of our Labour councillors and members colluded with Respect in an attempt to oust councillors that did not support Lutfur Rahman in his group leadership contest of 2008. I felt the brunt of this first-hand in my ward of Whitechapel where fortunately, I was born and brought up and happen to have many people who naturally have grown up with me and been involved in community camapaigns along with myself in excess of two decades. I also know that persons who were not genuine in their support of Rushanara Ali, but then were the first to appear at her get-together in congratulating her victory – yes, the very people that campaigned and voted against her!
Cllr. Helal Abbas has always been a Labour man. His track record as a successful leader speaks for itself having been elected leader of the council six times. He has never colluded with Respect against Labour party candidates in the May elections unlike others. His leadership is inclusive of all our diverse communities, truly regardless of race and religion and therefore, it is only right that such a person represents a multi-cultural, multi-faith borough such as Tower Hamlets. We need to all now ensure we come out, campaign and vote to ensure we elect a Labour Mayor. This will also hopefully be the real and true end of Respect, putting their remnants far out into the ocean.
Lutfur Rahman should now accept that the membership which was not fit for purpose to select its own council candidates only in February this year, cannot possibly be fit for purpose to select its mayoral candidate. I hope that he will now realise that the businessmen who proudly have claimed to fund his selection process starting with the ‘Mayor for Tower Hamlets’ campaign to ‘Lutfur for Mayor’ campaign have failed in their duty to adhere to electoral expenses. I sincerely hope that Lutfur Rahman will demonstrate now that he has always truly meant the words he always spoke of ‘this great Labour party’ that he proudly serves.
My god, what a load of guff.
Re your first point, I’m going to break something to you very gently. Most Labour Party members across the country (indeed maybe Tories and others too) are not active on a month-to-month basis. If they turn up at all, it’s for the AGM and for MP selections. This is true in all CLPs, and does not indicate ‘farmed members;’.
Second point “how many of our Labour councillors and members colluded with Respect in an attempt to oust councillors that did not support Lutfur Rahman in his group leadership contest of 2008”. Name names. Put up or shut up. There’s been enough whispering and groundless accusations already.
the membership which was not fit for purpose to select its own council candidates only in February this year, cannot possibly be fit for purpose to select its mayoral candidate
= “I don’t trust the members”. Just be honest about it.