At about 8pm tonight, I was sent a text from one of Lutfur Rahman’s aides exclaiming that two Labour councillors had “pledged their support for working with” the new mayor. A short while later “dominic1485” in a comment on this blog translated that as “TWO LABOUR DEFECTIONS”.
Dave Hill then correctly reported the situation here.
It’s all based on a press release issued by Labour’s Shahed Ali (ex-Respect) and new boy Kabir Ahmed. They were among five Labour councillors who voted against a group motion last week which demanded non-co-operation with Lutfur.
I’ve pasted the full text of that press release here, but allow me to make a couple of comments. This is all about saving their electoral skins. Which is, I guess, what democracy is all about. I’ve spoken at length to Shahed about this. He will refuse any cabinet position offered to him. He says he is loyal to Labour, but he says he also has a duty to his constituents in Whitechapel, which is a strong Lutfur area. What if they demand a zebra crossing, say, in Bigland Street? Shahed says he’d need to have some kind of relationship to Lutfur to deliver that – otherwise in four years time, it will be Shahed who pays the price at the ballot box.
The pair of them are worried that Labour could be outflanked by Lutfur’s crew if the party is not careful. They worry that a media-fuelled community backlash could even wipe Labour out.
My other reading of the political tea leaves (from speaking to several councillors over the last week or so) is that there is a growing move to oust group leader Helal Abbas. He is seen by these plotters as the face of Labour failure and they want a fresh start. (Following the selection of Abdul Alim in Spitalfields, the party’s election agent Graham Taylor is also a target for a coup.) The problem these wannabe rebels have is the successor. Sirajul Islam? Good, but too staid,not enough charisma, they say. Abdal Ullah? Too brash, not enough “substance”, one said to me. Josh Peck? Maybe, but he’s too tainted by the Abbas affair, another said.
There are 32 councillors in the Labour group, but there’s not an awful lot to choose from.
Here’s the unedited Shahed/Kabir memo:
Two more Labour Councillors to support Independent Mayor
Two Labour Councillors today pledged their support for working with Independent Mayor Rahman. Kabir Ahmed and Shahed Ali cited Labour’s refusal to work with the Mayor as primary reasons for breaking the Labour Group Whip. “Rahman was elected with a clear mandate, therefore, we need to respect that and work together for the good of the community. Instead of bringing Tower Hamlets together, the current leadership is exercising personal rivalries because there is no difference in the manifesto.”
Cllr. Kabir Ahmed said that since Abbas was defeated by Rahman, the atmosphere among Tower Hamlets Councillors had become “poisonous’: The leadership are trying to run a party within a party. Legitimate debate is being stifled and anyone who doesn’t do exactly what they’re told is branded as a ‘Luthfurite’. Even Phil Woolas seems to have got a fair hearing before being suspended and Labour MP’s can support him without being threatened with expulsion or notions of self-expulsion.”
Cllr. Shahed Ali cited the Labour group decision not to work with the Mayor as a turning point: “We had our group meeting immediately after the election at Westminster. Many felt that an emergency motion seeking non-cooperation with the Mayor was premature. Pressure was put on us to vote against working with Mayor Rahman. However, I firmly believe residents elected us as councillors to run their council, not just merely to oppose any opportunity to deliver its needs.”
Cllr. Kabir Ahmed added: “Six months ago, Labour was riding high in Tower Hamlets, we returned two MPs and forty one Councillors, but the current leadership threw that away. They are blinded by ego politics and personal ambitions within the Labour party. I’ve been a Labour member for many years and I am loyal to the party’s ideals, but if it’s a choice between the egos of Labour group leadership and the people who elected me, the voters win every time.”
“The two Independent Mayors of Hartlepool and Middlesboro work hand in hand with a huge majority of Labour councillors in their respective cabinets. Equally, the pool of experience and talent within Labour group should not be wasted. Tower Hamlets Labour party has to admit to the mistakes and ill-judgements it has made throughout this mayoral selection process and must re-double its efforts if it is to regain the trust and support it requires to avoid further electoral casualties.” said Cllr. Shahed Ali.
Lutfur Rahman, newly elected Independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets welcomed the support, but also appealed for unity: “I’m proud to welcome the support of councillors to my administration and look forward to working with them for the good of the whole community. But I also reiterate my call to the Labour Party and other opposition Groups to end this madness and work with me. The coalition has imposed cuts that threaten to tear the heart out of our community; I’ll be working to make sure that doesn’t happen. I want all parties to join with me to help one of the most deprived communities in the UK prosper”.
Cllr. Kabir Ahmed Cllr. Shahed Ali 10/11/2010
Trial by Jeory 
This is so interesting, the guy who as i mentioned in the previus blog a anti Lutfur man is NOW heading lutfurs way..
seriously he should of thought about that A LONG TIME AGO…
i see they are all seeing sense slowly one-by-one
I believe the two councillors mistake the intentions of many constituents.
People vote for individuals to represent their interests. It’s why individuals can attract votes – because they are good ward councillors irrespective of party affiliation.
In doing so most voters recognise that the person they vote for might in fact not be a member of the ruling administration and might end up in opposition. There’s no shame in that. However constituents still expect that councillor to represent their interests irrespective of whether or that councillor forms part of the group which runs the council.
What constituents are not interested in are individuals who place their own personal futures and political careers above the interests of their constituents.
For me the recent behaviour of both the Tower Hamlets Labour Party machine, its councillors and members only serves to reinforce the notion that the local Labour Party needs to stay on special measures. Just how many cliques and factions within a party can one area/local party have? What does it say about the Labour Party in modern Britain?
Nowhere else seems to have extent of the machinations and shenanigans that happen here. I wonder why……
What a mess, the local party chair must feel like an unwanted egg!
Shambolic and you must ask yourself how did this mess come about? The answer of course in part lies with the Labour group leader Helal Abbas’s dodgy dossier. Abbas must do the decent thing and go gracefully before he is pushed. If you need convincing of his poor performance watch this BBC interview at 1.25minutes in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW90K2O-svA.
To clear up the mess the NEC must investigate the claims made in the dossier, but also reprimand others who have played a key role in this Machiavellian saga, namely the two Labour MPs and other local party grandees.
“This is all about saving their electoral skins. Which is, I guess, what democracy is all about.”
Well actually no, it isn’t. The vast majority of politicians from all parties have at heart the desire to do the right thing for their area. That, Ted, is one of the reasons so few journalists actually “get” politics.
That said, after spending time in Tower Hamlets the error is understandable. Individuals and parties have let their egos and desire for power get in the way of doing what is right.
Now, onto to the clueless two.
I can’t decide whether it’s sour grapes from people in the minority on Group (the correct response for people who dont want to protection of the Group Whip is to suspend it from them), whether the its the act of two clueless cllrs, or whether it’s an act of desperation from the Lutfur camp after hung out to dry by Livingstone. Maybe a bit of all three.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23896334-labour-could-welcome-back-tower-hamlets-rebel-mayor-claims-ken-livingstone.do
It’s well spun, but “If he performs as well as I think he will perform, then we will see.” is somewhat less than a ringing endorsement and is politics for ‘Sorry I dont have the votes on the NEC to get you back in & you’re on your own pal’.
I assume Livingstone is reminded of his own precedent.
Remind me how long Livingstone was left out in the cold before Labout let him back in? April 2000-January 2004 is rather a long time….very nearly 4 years!
I doubt if Lutfur has a few weeks to come up with a Cabinet never mind months or years. Which is the whole point of non-co-operation – or don’t councillors get that bit?
However it would seem all this speculation is maybe a bit premature if Gilligan’s latest blog post is to be believed.
See Lutfur Rahman will not be readmitted to Labour
“The message has been passed to Ken very clearly from Ed Miliband that Lutfur will not be allowed back in to the party,” a senior Labour source said. “He has been told to shut up.”
So I guess it’s back to speculation about who is and who is not going to be in the Cabinet.
It’s also maybe time to remember that Livingstone only got back into Labour after a loyalty test adminstered by an NEC star chamber.
Ted is wrong. They are Defectors, not co-operators (with Lab group whip). Rephrase please unhypocritically.
Interesting that when he is interviewed by London Bangla about the forthcoming Spitalfields and Banglatown by election Lutfur states very clearly that he is not endorsing any of the candidates – and will just ‘let the voters decide’.
This is strange behaviour indeed for someone wanting to get back into the Labour Party.
http://londonbangla.co.uk/th-mayor.html
Not really – I presume that the Conservatives and Lib Dems will field candidates as well (even though they don’t have a hope of getting anywhere)and since Lutfur has to try to work with all the parties on the Council then for him to publicly endorse a Labour candidate would destroy him with the other two parties.
If Abbas has a presonal grudge and is un-willing for his party work with the current new administration, people need to get rid of him, he lost the last election quite badly and seriously this guy no offence but he can not construct a worthy senstence, he is NOT confident public speaker and he bore so many people that even those who did not want to vote lutfur did so as he was far more engaging then Abbas.
By forcing Cllrs to follow you on your personal vendetta is very dangerous and risky. So whether they co-operate or defect, irrespective, if they are not left with much choices, what esle can you label them as???
But it was a collective decision of the whole Labour group of councillors not to co-operate. Shahed and Kabir have both stated that they won’t take cabinet positions so exactly what does this co-operation mean? Presumably they will break the Labour whip continuously.
Sensible politicians accept their party whip wqithout caution. Sensible parties apply the whip with caution.
Is co-operate or collaborate the right word I wonder?
Is TH Labour leader Cllr Abbus is like Iran’s President Ahmedinejad or Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe who doesn’t want to give up power, so people then leave party out of frustration?! Right after losing mayoral election due to ‘imposition’ the TH Labour chair, Graham Taylor, has again ‘imposed’ unknown candidate Abdul Aleem for Spitalfields by-election against local ward party members’ wishes as pointed out by its chair Musabir Alee in Ted’s blog. No wonder these Lab councillors are leaving party to support mayor!
Intersting development! Labour would rather play politics than serve the TH residents. Nothing new about the likes of Abbas and co… and of course Ted was indirectly supporting Abbas who is now ruining Tower Hamlets by opposing the Mayor! Its disgusting politicians and their ego come first before serving the residents!
I feel sorry for Rahman’s co-operators who ‘worry that a media-fuelled community backlash could even wipe Labour out’. The muck of Tower Hamlets politics has blocked their vision. What they are forgetting, at their peril, is the national picture.
Thousands of Tower Hamlets residents will have a massive cut in their income because of the housing benefit changes – many of them will have find new accomodation. Social housing is dead – all new homes will be rented at 80% of the market rate. And this is on top of Local Government cuts of 40%. There will be no money for ‘zebra crossing’ and anything else they can buy their voters off with. Rahman is going to preside over cuts that Thatcher could only dream of.
People forget the real politick i.e. ‘it’s crap, who’s in power, let’s get rid of them’. This is why Rahman (and Livingstone) is begging to get back into the Labour Party. It’s going to be grim. People are now coming back to Labour in their hordes – look at the membership figures. Come 2014 nobody is going to looking to a bunch of powerless independents to help them.
It will be the Labour Party (a national party with power) and Rahman knows this.
Of course – there are those that theorise that Labour knew only too well how big the cuts would need to be and wasn’t fighting too hard to be the administration which had to implement them.
What it does mean in practical terms is that Rahman (NOT Labour) will be remembered as being the politician who had to cut services – and every cut will be remembered by somebody next time there’s an election.
There are advantages to being in opposition…..
For it was the Bank of England governor Mervyn King who reportedly once said the austerity cuts will be so severe that election winner will make itself unelectable.
Four years is a very long time in politics –
if only the co-operators had a ounce of political intelligence.
Leader of the Labour Party Abbas , is a fantastic role model and much admired leader. For someone to stand up to the IFE and its sympathesier alone shows his bravery.
Anyone in the borough who stands up to the IFE is heralded with abuse and defamation.
what people need to understand the power hungry IFE want to take control of all that comes before them. Labour is the only hope for us to keep them out, Lutfur only id desperate for Labour to allow him back, so he can move off our excellent MP Rushanara and take the slot. thats his ultimate mission.
So I say go on Abbas, you stop them
Abbus isn’t a ‘role model’, he is a disgrace to the people of Tower Hamlets for lying to the NEC about Luthur and taking Labour into Opposition. People in the Somali and English communities can’t stand him…
If there is one thing which is absolutely guaranteed to completely destroy your credibility as a commentator it’s sweeping generalisations about “what other people think” – especially when the assertion involves adverse comments about an individual.
If you’re going to make a pointed comment about what any of us think do at least try to offer some evidence for your assertion which goes well beyond your own opinion. We can then debate facts in an adult fashion.
If you can’t do that, I suggest you limit your comments to what you think and leave it at that.
Aren’t Bengalis born in England regarded as English?
Whoever said they weren’t?
The point is you were making sweeping generalisations on behalf of “people in the English and Somali communities” – and you simply can’t do that.
1. FACT: We don’t all think alike
2. FACT: YOU can’t possibly know what “people” think!
So why make this a racial issue when that’s not the point at all?
The issue is about HOW you say things. It’s about only making statements which you are capable of supporting through evidence rather than through unsupported assertion or opinion.
If you do that you won’t undermine your own argument or comment.
Labour have just confirmed their expulsion.
Rumous is that Labour have just confirmed their expulsion.
I’ve just spoken to London region boss Ken Clark, who says they have not been expelled. He says that it would be a matter for the Tower Hamlets Labour group to meet and discuss any action. But, categorically, he says, they have not been expelled.
Over 23,000 English people ie from Tower Hamlets, ie England dwellers voted for Luthur to be mayor. That’s 52% of the people that voted on October 21. Like it or not, he is an English mayor (of Bangladeshi origin).
Thanks Ted for that update, what is THLP saying? Bet they won’t kick them out of Labour because they’re related or something to disgraced Labour Cllr Abbus or someone like the unknown imposed S&BT candidate, Abul Aleem!
Dna are you deliberatetly mispelling everyones name because
a) you’re a sad little man who everyboday in THLP trys to avoid at every cost and made a laughable application to be the Spitalfields candiate?
b) you want us to think you are Bangladeshi?
c) you want us to think you are White English?
The decision by Ken Clark not to expel these two councillors means he discriminated against Luthur’s 8 cllrs earlier. There is a case for High Court action. The decision by THLP not to expel means that all the other Labour councillors should also feel free to ‘pledge’ their support and ‘save their skins’, disregarding Labour whip as it was a meaningless exercise having that stupid meeting Westminster a fortnight ago!
They’ll be judged by their actions not their intentions.
i would have thought that Fighting4EdMiliband would be in the council Chamber tonight… or is he staying at home under Drs orders?
I think he though the cabinet meeting was at 7.30, not 6.00.
mint I’m actually coming to yours tonight, it’s a shame you won’t be around!
Nasty, brutish and short.