Lutfur Rahman promised me a statement on what has been happening and he’s now kept his word. His team has just sent me a leaflet that they’re delivering across the borough.
I’ve copied it below.
8 October 2010
Dear Resident,
Four weeks ago, Labour Party members in Tower Hamlets overwhelmingly voted for me to be their candidate
to be the Borough’s first directly-elected Mayor. I won by a majority of almost 200 first preferences votes than
the candidate in second place, in the 5th and final round the votes stood at Lutfur Rahman 433, John Biggs 251
and Helal Abbas at 157 and the Local and Regional parties both expressed confidence that the election had
been fair and democratic.
Then, on 20th September, Labour’s NEC received a complaint against me from one of my beaten opponents –
Cllr Helal Abbas. I was not notified of this complaint, let alone allowed to refute it, and the NEC did not
investigate the matter before deciding to remove me as Labour’s candidate. The NEC imposed Cllr Abbas as the
candidate, despite the fact he came a distant third in the election.
NEC member Christine Shawcroft gives an account of this show trial on her website at
http://www.christineshawcroft.co.uk/nec
Among Cllr Abbas’s allegations is his belief that I have been “brainwashed by fundamentalists” as well as
unsupported allegations that I ‘bought” members. Cllr Bill Turner, who ran Cllr Shiria Khatun’s unsuccessful
campaign to be the candidate has made similar allegations.
Let me be absolutely clear. I am not an Islamist, Islamic Supremacist, Fundamentalist or Entryist and
I have never paid for the subscription of another Labour member nor encouraged anyone else to do so.
Let me also be clear that no actual evidence of wrongdoing has been put forward and there has been
no open investigation into any of the allegations made against me.
Neither Cllr Abbas, nor Cllr Turner is impartial. Cllr Abbas has run against me three times – twice to be Leader,
once to be PPC and once to be Mayor. Cllr Turner managed the campaign of another unsuccessful candidate
and twice failed to make my cabinet selection.
The idea that a duly elected candidate can be removed on a whim and replaced by their accuser belongs in an
Orwellian nightmare – it does not belong in Labour party politics. If Ed Balls had made a complaint about Ed
Miliband, would the NEC have torn up the election result and made Ed Balls Leader? No, it would not.
In such circumstances, I’m afraid that my confidence in the NEC’s decision-making is shattered. I have appealed
to Ed Miliband asking him to commission an independent investigation into the way Labour’s Mayoral
selection has been conducted as well as the allegations against me.
However, I feel that the imposition of Cllr Abbas in my place is such an insult to natural justice that I have no
option but to stand as an Independent candidate in this election. My manifesto is exactly the same as the one I
drew up in partnership with local members as Labour’s candidate.
Eight Labour councillors in Limehouse, Poplar, Shadwell, Spitalfields, Stepney and Whitechapel have backed
me. A number of local Party officers and many ordinary members are supporting me too. I know that you want
to be loyal to the Labour Party and especially our new Leader and I’m not asking you to tear up your
membership card. But if Labour stands for anything it is FAIRNESS.
And I ask you – is there any fairness in the way I have been treated? If your answer to that question
is no, then please vote for me as your first preference on 21st October.
Cllr Lutfur Rahman
PS remember, your vote is between you and the ballot box!
CLLR. LUTFUR RAHMAN
Published and promoted by Gulam Robbani on behalf of Lutfur Rahman C/O 160 Old Montague Street, London E1 5NA
Printed by Printing Hub, Unit 5, Stonefield Way, South Ruislip, London HA4 0JS.
Trial by Jeory 
“removed on a whim” ???
If you say so Lutufr.
Yes, removed on the whims of Roshnara Ali’s pressure on the Labour NEC and Abbas’s dodgy dossier! I guess democracy is out of the window in Labour and now its survival of the fittest, those who are strong survive! Labour is sowing with corruption more and more.
democracy. the NEC forgot about it.
Why inavde Iraq to bring democracy when its not respected in our own back yard???
I am a 50 year old born and grew up in Tower Hamlets, so I have seen a lot. We need to really be honest here; Luthfur Rahman won the Labour selection fair and square. The entire process was managed by the NEC, they had months to work out the process and over a year to sort out the membership list – more importantly; only members who have been registered before Nov 2009 were allowed to vote. –The Labour party had the time and chance so why did they not take the bogus members out? And if there were any, how could you be sure that they voted for Luthfur, it could have been for any candidate? This imposition is a stitch up by the cunning & divisive Rushanara Ali who has a personal vendetta against Luthfur and the disgruntled Helal Abbas – any fool can see that. I dare you to challenge that otherwise.
I recall Ted writing in his blog that he made calls to the NEC and they confirmed to him that Lutfur is our candidate. So If Lutfur held a launch event at the Troxy then it was under the Labour party banner and it should be taken up with the TH Labour party (Dan, you were happy to be part of that). Opportunist such as Dan McCurry and Cllr Shahed Ali who both supported John Biggs should be standing for him and asking the NEC why they chose the third candidate over their man who came second.
I would have not voted for anybody until I started reading Ted Jeory and Andrew Gilligan’s one sided attack on Luthfur and their scare mongering tactics –ask yourself why these senior journalist are spending so much of their valuable time on a daily basis writing about Tower Hamlets and attacking only one man? It made me more interested in finding out about the truth and I can tell you that I don’t have a shadow of a doubt that Luthfur is the strongest candidate with the leadership qualities to be the mayor. I really think it worked for the best that Luthfur is standing as an independent now he will be able to work across parties and take the best to his cabinet and deliver for the people of our borough.
More importantly, we need to really ask ourselves if we should take sides of the divisive Rushanara and Abbas who have a personal issue with Luthfur or should we be fair and elect the fittest candidate out of the five that are standing?
whatever Lutfur! You are HISTORY….
Ken Livingston did it. Yes you can.
Charlotte – ‘Lutfur will make history’
If Lutfur Rahman’s campaign are spending time distributing this leaflet then it is surely time wasted. The people of Tower Hamlets want to know what the candidates for Mayor will do to run the borough, not how they have been mistreated by their former political party. Anyone seriously annoyed with how Lutfur Rahman was treated by the Labour Party is probably already voting for him.
Nevertheless they will be wondering why he chose to run as an Independent. So this background info is important David.
No, most of the good people of TH who are not politically involved and just getting on with their lives, paying their council tax, sending their kids to local schools and expecting their bins to be emptied won’t care in the least why anyone is standing for any party or as an independent.
They’ll just see a list of names and parties. And preferably, as David says, have received some information about what the candidates would do if elected so that it might influence their decision on who to vote for.
Lutfur gets 433 votes and Helal Abbas gets 157 and the Labour NEC decides to chop Lutfur because of Abbas’s dodgy dossier and Roshnara Ali MP’s vendetta? Wow what ever happened to democracy? what ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? what ever happen to a fair trial? what ever happen to not listen to gutter journalism in the press? Labour seems to be becoming ever swayed by who ever has might and power and the law of the jungle rather than the law of civil society and democracy!
Dan, would you like to refute what he says or are you content with barking meaningless crap?
Having said this, I don’t believe Lutfur was removed on a whim. I disagree with him about this.
I believe Lutfur was removed in a totally calculated act of corruption at the very top of the Labour Party.
An interesting assessment…
An alternative version of this leaflet is here:
http://www.electionleaflets.org/leaflets/6124/
Lutfer was suspending because he was and still is the Respect candidate in disguise. I do not understand why Respect did not put a candidate forward in the first place. They openly said if Lutfer was the labour candidate they would not put a candidate forward. During the referendum for mayor, respect were urging people to vote yes to mayor and when the time comes they do not put a candidate forward, that is quite absurd.
I have grown up in TH and still live and work there. I have always voted Labour and itend to support and vote for Abbas. Abbas has been leader of he council 5 times which shows he is capable of the job. I have also met both Luther and Abbas and I found Abbas to be so much more likeable than lutfer who seemed fake and was only telling us what he assumed we wanted to hear and that is exactly what he is doing to the Bangladeshi community. Bangladeshis do not like Abbas because he says he will be representing all communities not just favouring the Bangladeshi.
Abbas for mayor!!! 21/10/2010 we will find out
Tania, stop spreading silly rumours about Lutfur, people can see through what you guys are trying to do. Lutfur has been a Labour man before Respect even existed. It was under Lutfur’s leadership that Respect got seriously beaten, Respect got in when Abbas was the leader and we only held on to the majority by one councilor. SO STOP SPREADING LIES – YOU OWE IT LUTFUR FOR WHAT HE HAS ACHIEVED!
Tony R your comments are not coherent. If Respect were so badly defeated by lutfur why are they supporting him and not putting one of their own candidates forward for the mayor election.
Lutfer IS the respect candidate in disguise. The lutfer camp have made this election into a religion election and are going round telling the bangkadeshis and the Muslims that they must vote for lutfer or they are not Muslim.
Lutfer camp are using religion to win over the illerate of TH, I detest the gam Lutfer is playing
Tania you have really lost the plot. Please speak to Respect directly or speak to the former Respect chair, Azmal Hussain who is now Abbas’s chief advisor and they can tell you more about what they are doing.
So how did the honourable Abbas get the Labour selection in the first place, you don’t find that disgusting? His fellow comrade John Biggs who came second was also undermined, so can you explain why the third candidate got the selection? Please don’t preach about disgusting games!
The propaganda about Lutfur is Respect will not wash down with the non Bangladeshi community, please don’t make a mockery of people’s intelligence.
Dear Tania It’s a sad day for Labour to make accusation against it’s former leader. The religious story only came about because Cllr Abbas used it first in his dodgy dossier and now he is trying to back track and blaming others for exploiting religious sentiments, double standard is what I say.
Tony I think you have clearly lost the plot. I am merely making an observation. Why did respect not put a candidate forward and why are they supporting Lutfer? That is my question. Respect stated they would not put a candidate forward if Luther stood as mayor. Tony this is common sense.
As for Abbas, I know that the muslim/Bangladeshi community do not like him as he is not Bengal/muslim enough and does not do as many favours for his Bengali/muslim as lutfer. John biggs is supporting the nec decision and also supporting Abbas, I also feel that biggs should have been made the candidate but I think it was tactic putting Abbas forward to get the bangladeshi votes.
Agree with TH Resident: why do we get the MP taking sides ? Why is she not standing back and saying she will support whoever wins the office of Mayor according to what her constituents decide? After all this is supposed to be a ‘unity’ mayor.
The people who want Abbas are the small Labour-based clique who run things behind the scenes at the council, who have little respect for elected councillors, or voters, and rely on this kind of infighting so they can continue carving up the borough for their business friends. They need Abbas as he won’t disturb their plans (and has never done so). Rahman on the other hand seems to want to rock the boat.
An Abbas win will further entrench the present regime – there will be no reason for anything at all to change around here and nothing will.
[…] Jeory, whom Kennite refers to as a “colleague”, received a letter from Rahman rebutting Gilligan’s allegations of “Islamic […]
Guardian – Dave Hill interview with Lutfur Rahman
Tower Hamlets: interview with independent mayoral candidate Lutfur Rahman
During the short walk from his campaign office in Greatorex Street to its junction with Whitechapel Road, five people stopped to shake his hand. Some of them shook mine too, despite their having no I idea who I am. Turning the corner we bumped into a man I recognised as Shiraj Haque, owner of the Clifton Restaurant and sometimes known, among other things, as one the of Brick Lane “curry kings”.
Haque shook candidate Rahman’s hand. He shook mine. The pair conversed in what I’m assuming was the Syleti variation on Bengli, if that definition serves. They smiled and joked. Rahman spotted a man who works for the Bangla TV station Channel S, and I shook his hand too. His wife smiled.
Then Haque insisted we retrace a few steps to a newly-opened sweets shop. Rahman consented, with apologies to me, and Haque ushered us through the door to greetings from the young men serving behind the display cases followed by yet more handshakes, this time with a group of older men (one of them very old indeed) gathered round a table at the back of the shop.
Most stood to greet Rahman, and there was further banter and more smiling. I made out the word “Guardian” once or twice. I had that feeling of having wandered accidentally on to a film set. Later, on the bus home, I amused myself by mentally scripting what might have happened next. Perhaps some newshound could have burst from a cupboard and photographed me in this company, thereby condemning me forever as being “linked” to someone who is alleged to have been “brainwashed” by Islamic fundamentalists?
That, of course, is one of the allegations made by Rahman’s rival, the Labour mayoral candidate Helal Abbas, who is his fellow Councillor for Spitalfields and Banglatown, his successor as Council leader and his former friend. The allegation is but one of many presented by Abbas in a statement to Labour’s National Executive committee following Rahman’s selection as mayoral candidate by Tower Hamlets party members. It contributed to Rahman’s removal and replacement by Abbas. Rahman’s decision to run as an independent has resulted in his expulsion from Labour.
In the sweets shop the excitement intensified. Rahman was asked to be a party to the opening ceremony. He agreed and suddenly he was standing prominently in a crowd outside the door. Someone unrolled a reel of green ribbon and a large video camera appeared. The crowd, exclusively male, craned and beamed. Then it dispersed as rapidly as it had formed.
“How about Starbucks?” said Rahman, setting off with me again. But before we reached that destination, which was just along the road, there was another impromptu meet and greet. Behold, Ajmal Masroor, imam, TV presenter, occasional Guardian contributor and a Liberal Democrat politician. He was runner up to Labour’s Rushanari Ali in the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency in May and to John Griffiths in the contest to become Lib Dem candidate for Tower Hamlets mayor. “I conceded gracefully,” he said, then told me he’d written a book about relationships. “I’m a qualified Relate counsellor. The book will be published in a couple of weeks.”
Maroor expressed disapproval of Labour’s NEC choosing Abbas as Rahman’s replacement instead of the area’s London Assembly representative John Biggs, who’d finished second in the members’ ballot. Abbas was third. “Why did they do that?” asked Masroor. “I suppose because they think a white candidate cannot win here,” I replied. Masroor said I should ask Rahman about how he’ll bring the whole Tower Hamlets community together. The pair exchanged looks and smiles whose meanings I was unsure of. That film set feeling returned.
And then we were in Starbucks, amid a clamour of conversation and clanking crockery. I first asked Rahman about the cameo of local celebrity in which he had just starred. A member of the Labour campaign team had told me that the Bangla vote, so crucial in politics here, tends to arrive a consensus and make its electoral choice accordingly. If what I had just seen was any indication, then that consensus could be gathering in Rahman’s favour. What did he think it all meant?
“Dave, I’ve been in this borough since a young age,” he replied. “This borough’s very important to me. I want to make it a better place. For two years I was its leader [from 2008-2010]. For nine years I’ve been a Councillor. For me it’s been about delivering for the people of Tower Hamlets, whoever you are, to each and every member of our community, whether you are white or black.”
A significant opening comment, given Labour’s headline “unity” pitch. What you saw today is a reflection of that – of what I and my team did whilst I was leader and while I’ve been a Councillor. And I’m grateful to them for giving me such a reception. A lot of them, I don’t even know who they are. But I’m grateful that they’ve recognised my face and feel that I am accessible and approachable.”
We moved on to core policy areas. Labour boroughs have joined Conservative ones in making a virtue of freezing the Council Tax, including Tower Hamlets. What would Rahman do about it if elected Mayor? “There needs to be balance, in difficult times,” he replied. “We need to deliver high class, top services. At the same time we have to be careful. It cannot be at the expense of hard-working people in Tower Hamlets. We need to keep Council Tax as low as possible.” Was that a “yes” to freezing it or not quite? “At this stage it’s difficult to say. But if I do get elected, I will explore all options – with the community.”
On housing, he cites the Robin Hood Gardens and Ocean Estates as examples of his success in advancing regeneration schemes when Council leader. Both remain works in progress – see here and here – though his campaign leaflet carries an endorsement from the Ocean’s residents procurement group saying he sorted out the “disarray” in the Council’s plans.
But with little hope of government funding, how would he meet the needs of the families on the Council’s waiting lists, many of them in overcrowded conditions? Rahman expressed optimism about the loan-raising powers of housing associations and the potential of 106 agreements. He rejected Conservative candidate Neil King’s belief that in the present climate the borough should abandon targets for affordable homes in favour of building as many homes of whatever kind as possible. “As a politician, it is my duty, my responsibility, to look out for each and every member of my community. I say rubbish to what the Tory has said.” He continued: “We do need one and two bedroom homes. We have a lot of single people in the borough, we have to try to accommodate them and keep them in the borough if we can. At the same time we do need larger-sized family homes.” He pledged to explore all options.
What about schools? “I’m a beneficiary of the state comprehensive education system. My kids go to state schools. I do not want to see academies in the borough. We don’t have any now and I will resist any move by this government to have that kind of a system.”
What would be his attitude to more faith schools in the borough, within the state sector? Tower Hamlets already has quite a number, notably Catholic ones “As long as schools are signing up to the [national] curriculum I will not oppose them,” he replied. Including Islamic schools? “As long as we know they are signed up to its proper child protection policies and the broad curriculum I would not object.”
I then asked Rahman to imagine I am a Tower Hamlets voter trying to choose between him and Abbas. I might have seen a Channel 4 Dispatches programme earlier this year that strove – rather sweatily, I thought – to convince us that Labour Party and the borough was being infiltrated by secretive Muslim extremists in the form of the Islamic Forum of Europe, the group that Abbas said in his statement that he believed had “brainwashed” Rahman. Were I that undecided voter, I would want to hear from Rahman what his relationship, if any, with the IFE is. “I am not a member and I have never been a member of the Islamic Forum of Europe or of any Islamic organisation,” Rahman replied. “My whole upbringing has been based on social democracy, and if I was a member of any organisation I would declare it as a Councillor.”
But, I pressed, people aren’t saying you are a member of the IFE but that you are in league with them and that they support you in secretive ways. I suggested there are two ways of looking at the the IFE issue. One is that the organisation makes no secret of being involved in political activity and has got some peoples’ backs up because it’s done so very effectively. The other is to characterise its members, as local MP Jim Fitzpatrick has done, as infiltrators or entryists trying to subvert Labour Party, and this fellow Lutfur Rahman as the IFE’s little soldier on the inside.
Rahman laughed. “I find that ridiculous! Can I say this to you? I am not in league with anyone. I am in league with the people of Tower Hamlets. I’m not an entryist, no-one pulls my strings. I listen to my constituents, I listen to my Councillors. I find ridiculous and ludicrous any suggestion that I’m in league with some organisation to deliver their agenda.”
Says he would work with all religious groups as mayor, mentioning his expression of concern for the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat temple in Bow when it was burned down last March. Developing his argument that he’s worked with and for “the whole community” he cites his part in saving of the local Bancroft Library and the re-opening of Poplar Baths. He’s recently being accused of actually wanting the library to be closed, yet the Save Bancroft Library website thanks him for his “October 2008 decision to ‘retain Bancroft for the Local History Library and Archives’.”
But what about Tory group leader Peter Golds’s request that the police investigate him for alleged undeclared donations? Some people seem to take it as read that he’s being bankrolled by a certain local businessman. Rahman dismissed Golds’s complaint as “rubbish.” He said: “Don’t forget, I’m a businessman myself. I’m a solicitor. I earn my own living through my sweat and blood. I pay my expenses. I pay my bills. No one else pays my bills. That’s never been the case. What you saw today was a local business being opened, a sweets shop. I didn’t even know about it, that they wanted me to go and open it. It was impromptu. I’m not beholden to any businessmen. I’ve had no approaches from anyone. I’ve declared what I need to declare. I have no secrets in my life. No, I pay my own expenses, thank you.”
I asked for some specifics. He’d fought the Labour Party through the courts in order to be included in the ballot to select the mayoral candidate. Who had paid his fees? “I paid my own expenses,” he replied. “I paid all my legal fees.”
What about the campaign launch event he held after winning that ballot, which was held at the smart Troxy venue? “The campaign launch? I paid for the expenses,” he replied.
What about his campaign literature? “My leaflets were produced with my own money,” he said.
He then went on to the statement given by Helal Abbas to Labour’s NEC. “If Councillor Abbas had any concerns, why did he not put them before the election?” he asked. “They never gave me a chance to respond to those allegations.” I wondered why he thought the NEC and many in local Labour circles seemed to eager to remove him? He put this down to “some bad apples. They want to get rid of me and they won.” He insisted: “I am the members’s choice. And the Labour Party, with the greatest of respect, is split down the middle about it. Labour values of fairness and justice have always been in my heart, and I’m very sad the way they have treated me.”
I asked him if he’d ever paid the membership fees of other people to become sham or “pocket” party members, who had no interest in the party and simply supported him when required? “No charges have been brought against me,” he said.
OK, but had he ever done it?
“No. For the record, I have never done it. I have never paid anyone’s fee. I have encouraged people to support the Labour Party, because that’s the party that I believe in and have been a member for for such a long time and served it loyally. I said to the party, bring the evidence against me.”
I put to Rahman a complaint that some women had felt uncomfortable during his stewardship of the Council. There are stories of women being excluded from decision-making processes and feeling informally policed by his lieutentants, both in terms of their activities and their appearance. Such a culture would not be consistent with Labour Party values, I suggested.
“What I say to you is this,” Rahman replied. “I grew up in this country. My upbringing has been quite libertarian. My family is quite left wing. I have liberal values instilled in me: values of fairness, values of equality, values of respect. I have never – never – either marginalised or dismissed any member of the Labour Group. I have never marginalised or dismissed or disrespected my female colleagues. I refute it unequivocally.” He added that no complaints were made at the time.
Does he consider himself to the left or the right of Helal Abbas?
“Left.”
He went on to recall with pride that under him Tower Hamlets introduced the London Living Wage for all its employees. With the IFE stories in mind, I asked how he would define the proper relationship between mainstream democratic politics and faith groups? “I believe in social democracy, and that’s the basis on which my whole life has been lived,” he said.
Does he see himself as a secular politician who accommodates and works with faith groups or a faith-driven politician? “It saddens me that some people paint me with that brush,” he said in response to the latter definition. Later, he said, “I’m a proud Muslim, I make no secret of that.” Is he a liberal Muslim or a conservative one? “I don’t know what the difference is. But I don’t want to impose my religion on anyone else. For me it’s a private matter, I try to pray whenever I can, but it’s a private thing between me and my God. And that’s it.”
With time running short. I asked about the speech he made at the end of June’s march through Tower Hamlets against the English Defence League. He was immediately preceded by George Galloway of the Respect Party. Galloway praised Rahman as the right sort of man to become mayor. Respect is now backing Rahman’s independent campaign. This might bother that notional undecided Tower Hamlets voter. What should he or she make of the two standing together in Altab Ali Park that day?
“I have never sat down or even had a cup of coffee with George Galloway,” Rahman said. “I’d only seen him once or twice before, passing by him on the street. I’m sure he’s a good man. I’ve nothing against him personally. But he belongs to one party, I belong[ed] to another one.” Had he expected to be standing next to him? “No, no, no! It was a complete surprise to me. I didn’t expect him to say what he said, I didn’t expect to stand next to him. I wasn’t embarrassed by that, though.”
The Labour campaign takes a different view. They claim that Rahman is effectively Respect’s candidate in disguise. I hope to be interviewing the Labour candidate about that and many other matters soon