Amid the mess that is the current Tower Hamlets Labour party, it’s good to see that some members have retained (or should that be discovered?) a sense of humour, albeit unwittingly. During a brief survey of some of those who attended a group meeting of councillors in Westminster last night, more than one said to me today that they’re going to “find it difficult being in opposition; we’re not used to it”.
Are they kidding? Ever since I’ve covered Tower Hamlets politics, the faction-ridden Labour group has been constantly at war with itself. Arguably, last week’s mayoral election, aided and abetted by Respect, was merely an extension of that.
That said, the repercussions are a touch more serious this time round.
Last night, although the group of 31 remaining councillors voted overwhelmingly not to co-operate with their nemesis, Mayor-elect Lutfur Rahman, I also sense a certain softening and shifting game-plans.
For many in the Labour group, the £10,000 a year they receive as paid councillors is extremely important and, for some, the loss of earnings from no longer sitting in cabinet or from chairing various committees will be a big hit financially. As the next round of elections approach in 2014, many of them will be desperate for survival. For them, the talk of “new beginnings” and principled purges of rotten influences will be irrelevant.
So, while last night’s motion calling on the NEC to investigate those who campaigned against Labour these past few weeks was undoubtedly based on genuine rage, it does also appear to have been a decent sliced return back into the party’s ruling court.
In the short term, the NEC must now decide how to deal with, fairly, a number of issues, the main ones being the futures of Ken Livingstone, Lord Nazir Ahmed and the group of eight pro-Lutfur councillors.
As I type, I’m being told that the group of eight Labour councillors who campaigned for Lutfur have been formally expelled by the Labour party. If so, in order to avoid accusations of double standards, the NEC will have to expel Lord Ahmed as well. The case against the more slippery, newt-loving Livingstone is trickier. He chose his words carefully – and he’s too big a fish to mess with.
Which way new party leader Ed Miliband nods his brainy head will be crucial. The feeling among senior Labour figures is that he will lay off Ken, but I suspect he will also order an investigation into the so-called “Abbas dossier”, which in fact was authored not only by Helal Abbas, but also a number of others involved in the shambolic Labour selection campaign.
If that investigation finds the dossier was as weak as some suspect and, depending on how Lutfur acts and performs as an independent Mayor, it is not inconceivable that he and others two years or so down the line could be readmitted into the fold.
Meanwhile, what of Marc Francis?
I understand that it is highly likely (actually, I mean it is 99.999999 per cent certain) that he will NOT serve under his friend Lutfur. He is a Labour councillor and he will remain one. He will abide by last night’s democratic motion at Labour group and stay with his colleagues.
However, he will continue to fight his corner from the wings.
I’m also certain of that.
UPDATE – 9pm, October 26
There is some confusion over the Group of Eight. A London Labour spokesman told me this evening the party’s constitutional unit wrote to them a couple of weeks ago to say their actions appeared to be a breach of party rules and that there seemed to be grounds for automatic expulsion. They were given 14 days in which to appeal and I understand that all eight have done so. He said an appeal process will now be set up and that will take its course….However, I’m also being told by another Labour insider that a disciplinary sub-committee of Labour’s NEC met today to “confirm” their expulsion. One day, Labour will get their act together….
Trial by Jeory 
Slippery and newt loving he may be – but did Livingstone actually campaign at any time on behalf of the official Labour Candidate in Tower Hamlets?
If he didn’t and if there is, as I understand, evidence that his appearance in LBTH greatly muddied the waters and left people not wanting to vote for Abbas then I don’t see how he can be left alone. (Besides which – it’s not as if Oona is unpopular or didn’t get many votes!)
Of course one way of tackling this would be to ask for a count of the second votes. If swaying a few votes made all the difference to the first vote count then Livingstone has a lot to answer for.
What I don’t understand is how can you investigate the Abbas dossier and not investigate the Livingstone intervention? That doesn’t make sense and certainly does not give the appearance of being fair. It could also lead to the Labour Party bringing its name into yet more disrepute.
Wrong end of the stick (as usual!) Ted on several levels.
The dossier is now irrelevant.
Second point is that there was never any question of cooperating with lutfur. There’s no way back. This is a political paradigm shift. Being in opposition nationally makes all the difference.
Oh. You heard it here first. I am sure Ed will act, and that act will be to change the party’s constitution so that mayoral selections are treated the same way as parliamentary by-elections. Tower hamlets is to mayors what bermondsey was to by-elections.
@ you could not make it up
Have you read Abbas’s dossier… if you have read it fully then im sure you will understand why one must investigate his claims which were very weak and damaging in fact Lutfur should sue him.
“One day, Labour will get their act together…” It is constitutionally incapable of so doing I am afraid. And certainly not until the ‘special powers’ rubbish is removed and local decision making restored. Ken Clark is a gonner and not a moment too soon.
You’re right that Labour Group has always had internal battles. The difference is that when Abbas and Michael were each leader, the most able people from the other side were brought into cabinet, in an attempt to maintain stability. In Denise’s first year she gave cabinet jobs to her opponents, but they chose not to turn up or do much so didn’t stay the next year. In Lutfur’s second year his cabinet was very weak, and the only person in it who didn’t vote for him to be leader was Josh, who won the deputy leader election against Ohid, Lutfur’s preferred candidate. Before Lutfur, there may have been battles and alliances, but there was always dialogue across groups. That ended when Lutfur became leader.
Put this under Ted’s next post but then saw that this post on Marc Francis discusses the dossier, so have copied here:
Judoker isn’t in favour of “power sharing with extremists” as he says himself. So that is Labour’s view of Lutfur (and the other Councillors). They are “extremists”?
Is that what you lot put in your Abbas dossier? That Lutfur Rahman is an extremist? All we outsiders (that’s us residents of Tower Hamlets who vote for your party/or not) know is that you Labour people knocked out a last-minute complaint about Lutfur Rahman that alleged he had been “brainwashed by fundamentalists.” We also know that Abbas, still your Leader, is the signatory and that Bill Turner, a Labour Councillor, was also making these allegations. This all comes from Ted’s blog – so thanks to him for giving us this.
As Labour still is slinging about comments like “extremists” and jokes like “don’t tweet ‘cell’ after hanging round Tower Hamlets” (tee-hee, how you Labour lovelies must laugh among yourselves) you obviously uphold the allegations of Helal Abbas in that dossier and those of Bill Turner.
If our Mayor and the other councillors who may be in his Cabinet are “extremists” as Judoker says and if similar allegations of the now Mayor having being “brainwashed by fundamentalists” are in this dossier, then the dossier needs to be investigated.
The people of Tower Hamlets should demand that the dossier concerning our now Mayor be investigated. The NEC must investigate.
Ted – you have a copy of it – put it on your blog. Then we residents can at least see what it is that the Labour lot are alleging? Or would publishing the dossier open you up to prosecution, if it was found to be untrue?
local voter – email shcmirrors@gmail.com
It’s worth remembering that our only source for the assertion that the NEC decision was made on the basis of the dossier is Christine Shawcroft. Maybe do a bit of research into her and then decide how reliable you think her account of the NEC meeting is likely to be, and what old axes she might have to grind.
Dear Lady Bracknell
Sadly, I can only confirm Christine’s account. Sad, as it was a travesty of due process. You sd be aware that I was appointed by a previous general secretary as chief whip in Hackney at the height of its troubles in 1995. Comparing how the NEC conducted itself then with now is very illuminating. Allegations were made. A detailed dossier was prepared. Only then did the NEC decide to act – by setting up a three member board of inquiry to investigate. It was only after evidence was presented and hearings started that those accused decided to form a separate group on Hackney Council, and automatically expelled themselves. In this instance, Lutfur Rahman was not even offered a chance to defend himself.
That is a scandal, and if Ed Miliband wants a mass membership party, he has to take on the natural justice deniers.
Lady Bracknell – our only source on the NEC decision being based on the dossier is Christine Shawcroft? What about Peter Kenyon?
“Peter Kenyon said that there was a probability the candidate would stand against us anyway (not a point likely to win the NEC over). Anyone can make a case against anyone – look at the case that was made against Ken Livingstone, and look where that got us. We should investigate soon, before the nominations…”
Of course Lady Bracknell – in handbagging mode – you might want to dismiss this as it is from the ‘axe-grinding’ Ms Shawcroft but Peter Kenyon talked subsequently of how the decision was made on the dossier on his blog and elsewhere.
I can see you wielding your Louis Vuitton as I write – ready to line up this Peter Kenyon for “research” to find “old axes”.
What ‘corner’ will Marc Francis be fighting? On what issues?
[…] line has been drawn in the sand allowing the party to be cleansed of malevolent forces. I’ve not been so sure. The forthcoming by-election in Spitalfields and Banglatown on December 16 will be a good pointer. […]
[…] days before) before voting on recommendations which were presented only verbally. However, even Rahman’s sternest critics admit the so-called “Abbas dossier” might be pretty weak. According to NEC member, […]
[…] days before) before voting on recommendations which were presented only verbally. However, even Rahman’s sternest critics admit the so-called “Abbas dossier” might be pretty […]