In what was probably one of the most underwhelming by-elections ever held in Tower Hamlets, Respect has regained a foothold in Spitalfields and Banglatown.
Its candidate, the former councillor Fozol Miah, won by 113 votes from Labour’s Abdul Alim. The turnout was a mesmerising 16.8 per cent.
Fozol was a Respect councillor between 2006 and 2010 and while he seemed to be a genuinely decent bloke he hardly set the council chamber on fire. I imagine he will now join the queue for jobs in Mayor Lutfur’s administration, which is already looking decidedly threadbare.
As for Labour’s loss… . Spitalfields and Banglatown is a law unto itself and Fozol only just missed out on re-election back in May does have a large personal support there. However, it is the back yard for both Helal Abbas and Lutfur Rahman. I’m sure that if Lutfur had really put his heart and soul into a pro-Labour campaign, Alim would now be a councillor.
I suppose it’s also interesting that Abbas’s currency there seems to be on the wane. This result will inevitably add momentum to moves to oust him at Labour’s April AGM.
The following is taken from the Tower Hamlets council website:
An election was held for a vacant council seat in the Tower Hamlets Borough ward of Spitalfields and Banglatown on Thursday, 16 December 2010.
The result of the election was as follows:
- Abdul Alim, Labour Party – 553 votes
- Jewel Chowdhury, Independent – 28 votes
- Magaret Ann Crosbie, The Green Party – 52 votes
- Fozol Miah, Respect – 666 votes (elected)
- Ferdy North, Liberal Democrats – 33 votes
- Matthew James Smith, Conservative Party – 135 votes
Number of ballot papers spoilt: 19
Electorate for Spitalfields and Bangaltown Ward: 8,827
Votes polled: 1,486
Turnout: 16.83 per cent
16 December 2010
Trial by Jeory 
How uncritical…
Was the Labour candidate the same guy who posts on this website?
Pathetically, to make it worse, as if they weren’t at fault. But then again, it’s always Mayor Lootfor-Ohid’s fault, even Labour’s stupid selection of Abdul Alim by foresight lacking Cllr Josh Peck, Cllr Rachael Saunders, Cllr Mizanur Chaudhry, Cllr Abbas (formerly Uddin during maiden times!), Cllr Anwar Khan, Cllr Khales Uddin, stupid party chair Graham Taylor and most influentially the braindead arrogant admin servant of mafia bosses Ken Clark (Blair’s London streetpolitician), Michael Keith and Cllr Denise Jones: CHRIS WEAVERS, the greatest loser in all this, for disallowing (and disrespecting) local ‘legitimate’ ward Labour party members from selecting a winnable candidate. Shame on them all for NOT listening to the SBT ward party chair, Mussabeer Ali. Insomnia…
I’m not surprised there was a miniature turnout… the polling booth wasn’t signposted at all when I turned up… unless of course you consider the crazies who were outside in the snow trying to convince me to vote for their candidate as ‘signposting’. Another disappointing outcome.
Report that to Kevan Collins (CEO, LBTH) as Returning Officer. All Polling Stations are required to be marked as such – and I’m virtually certain this MUST be visible from the street. However some Poll Station Presiding Officers have been known to lack any appreciation as to the best place to put it.
It’s worth reporting though.
Oh come on Ted! Your journalistic talents seem to have deserted you since you joined the pornographer-in-chief’s stable in the Daily Express.
“Fozol only just missed out on re-election back in May”
“only just”!! You’ve got to be kidding! Just a reminder, back in May the third placed successful Labour candidate got 1,500 votes while Fozol got 1,068 – a gap of 432 votes, or 40% of Fozol’s vote.
There’s no way of denying this was a huge swing to Respect and victory for them. And a complete catastrophic collapse for the LibDems – who can believe their dodgy bar charts again!
You’re right. Sorry, I was typing from jaded memory late at night. Apologies.
[…] does the result tell us? Ted Jeory, on the spot, reckons Labour would have won the seat had Rahman backed him. Yet given the apparent lack of […]
What this result tells us is that the population of Tower Hamlets are totally fed up with the antics of local politicians and that they wouldn’t come out to vote for any of them if you paid them.
Well maybe a few did……..or tried to.
Though there had been a low turnout due to many factors including weather and turmoil from the recent mayoral campaign era, a statistical analysis may help to explain a few things: Respect 44.5%, Labour 36.5%, with 8% swing towards Respect which is a mere 113 votes (just 20-30 Bengali flats!) that Labour members from SBT could have got had they been consulted a little on the selection prior to imposing Mr Alim on everyone. Rushanara Ali MP and Cllr Abbas really should have stayed home because they cost Alim these votes but perhaps with good intent!
correction: 8 per cent difference, not ‘swing’. Actual is much much higher if you consider Respect’s highest was 1,068 in May 2010 whereas Labour was 1660. Labour must do more to retain public interest and regain their trust. So how can this newly elected Cllr Fozlol Miah serve his constituents and community’s businesses? Well, for a start he should charge them half price fares for all cab journeys during this economic crisis! His only other good use would be teach Cllr Oli how to speak slightly better English or to shut up (sellotape) in meetings. A Cabinet position is a remote possibility!