As many of you will have heard, Rushanara Ali resigned from the Labour front bench this afternoon so she could abstain from the Commons vote on military action against ISIS in Iraq. She was Shadow Education Minister and had been enjoying her brief.
She’s rated by the Labour leadership and it’s likely she’ll be given a frontline portfolio if Labour secure a General Election victory next May.
That’s if she retains her Bethnal Green and Bow seat, of course. And that’s becoming a bigger if.
She’s genuinely worried about the threat of Lutfur Rahman’s Tower Hamlets First machine…and, in particular, one of his key cabinet members; in fact, his only female councillor.
Step forward Cllr Rabina Khan.
It’s well known in Tower Hamlets political circles that Rabina, who was expelled from Labour for backing Lutfur as an Independent in 2010, covets Rushanara’s seat.
After Lutfur’s re-election victory in May, she was dissuaded from formally declaring her candidacy. Lutfur was keen to have her as a negotiating pawn in his attempts to rejoin Labour.
However, I understand her ambition has developed a life of its own. Rushanara knows this and has been extremely busy raising funds for her own re-election campaign.
In that well-established arena of foreign policy debate, the Tower Hamlets council chamber at Mulberry Place, Rabina has been a very vocal critic of Britain’s military interventions abroad. No doubt she would also be against bombing ISIS.
And Rushanara, who watched her former boss Oona King fall prey to George Galloway in 2005 after she had voted for the 2003 Iraq War, is wary, to say the least, of treading that same path.
A little over a year ago, her fellow Tower Hamlets MP, Jim Fitzpatrick, quit his front bench role as Shadow Transport Minister over Labour’s cautious position on Syria back then. Not because it was cautious, but because it wasn’t cautious enough. “I’m opposed to military intervention in Syria, full stop,” he said in August 2013.
I don’t think he was at the debate today (I know he was overseas during the week), but he had the same dilemma as Rushanara: vote to bomb and (inevitably) kill Muslim civilians and risk waving bye to your Commons career. Moral principles also played a part, of course. I’m confident Jim supports Rushanara’s decision.
So politically, Rushanara has been wise.
Note she abstained, rather than go one further against Ed Miliband. It’s likely she discussed her move with him beforehand: EdMili understands the dynamics of Tower Hamlets politics.
But will it be enough to stave off the Rabina threat? What of her?
For newcomers to the blog, she is a children’s author who on has described herself thus:
I am a Writer, Producer and Creative Consultant, living and working for many years in Tower Hamlets, London. I’m involved in a range of writing, speaking, film, moving image and creative projects and I enjoy what I do.
Over the years my writing and creative work has developed into film treatments, script writing, film making and managing commissions.
As a councillor and as a performer in the council chamber, I rate her. Confident and articulate, she is head and shoulders above her Tower Hamlets First colleagues in that particular arena, and I include Lutfur in that (although my friend Oli Rahman is also very good!)
Senior Labour and Tory figures in Tower Hamlets disagree with me on this. They perhaps know her better. They say she’s wooden, that she’s not good at thinking on her feet, that her answers are always read from a script.
However, constituents who have dealt with her rave about her. The great John Wright regularly comments on this blog to that effect.
She’s the cabinet member for housing and development. She’s said to be “passionate” about her job, so much so that I understand she turned down Lutfur’s offer to become deputy mayor in May: she felt combining the two roles would have been too much, so she chose the former.
So all good. However, when you Google her name the fifth item down returns this:
Oh dear. The full story is here. Unlike Oli Rahman, I don’t think she ever apologised for her part in that scandal. Maybe she had good explanations, but they were never passed to the media. Maybe that’s another good quality–you never know..
UPDATE 9.50pm
The exchange of letters between Rushanara and Ed Miliband are here:
Dear Ed,
It has been an enormous privilege to serve on the Shadow Front Bench in two different roles in the past four years.
It is therefore with great regret that I tender my resignation as a Shadow Minister in advance of the vote today on military action in Iraq against ISIL. I understand the case that has been made and will not be voting against the motion. But I am unable in conscience to support the motion and I will make a deliberate abstention.
There can be no doubt that the actions of ISIL are horrific and barbaric, and I share the revulsion that everyone in our country feels towards them. However, I am not confident that this military action will be effective in the short-term in just targeting the terrorists and not harming innocent civilians. Nor can I pretend to have confidence that there is a credible long-term strategy to build up the capacity of the Iraqi army, or that the potential impact on radicalisation in the UK has been properly thought through. Despite good intentions, too many mistakes have been made over the last decade and far too many people in conflict zones have had to pay a high price for misconceived actions by the UK and other countries.
I appreciate the sincerity of Members of Parliament from all sides of the House who today support military action against ISIL. I know that British Muslims stand united in the total condemnation of the murders that ISIL have committed. However, there is a genuine belief in Muslim and non-Muslim communities that military action will only create further bloodshed and further pain for the people of Iraq.
Once again, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve in the Shadow Government. There is no doubt in my mind that the plan you set out for our country this week is the right one, and it has all the hallmarks of your leadership to date: bold, fair, serious about the UK’s long-term needs, and unafraid of vested interests.
I remain totally committed to your leadership and I look forward to you becoming Prime Minister in eight months’ time. I will play my full part from the backbenches and in my constituency to ensure that outcome.
Yours sincerely,
Rushanara
Dear Rushanara,
Thank you for your letter.
I regret that you feel unable to support the motion. I know that you have thought long and hard about this. I respect your decision and accept your resignation.
You have served with real distinction as a shadow minister, both in the Shadow Edication and International Development teams. You are someone with great ability and talent.
I know you will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Bethnal Green and Bow and play your part in helping Labour to return to government at the General Election.
Yours ever,
Ed
Trial by Jeory 
It is the Taxi Fares that severely damage her.
Sheer ripping-off the public !
Surely entering should be about serving the public not depleting the public’s cash !
Pigs with their snouts in the trough of public cash.
Curious Cat.
I think Rabina is a strong candidate, but I’m told that the Bangladeshi vote is likely to fall behind Labour for a Westminster election and that Rushanara is not unpopular in the Bangladeshi community.
The two big questions are what will Lutfur do now that Rabina has shown herself determined to run, and how will the white working class vote?
I don’t see how Rabina can get any leverage on the white vote. Even though she is impressive, I just don’t see how she can engage with them. I’m not aware of her spending any time in Bow. I’m not aware of any campaign that she has been involved in. She is unknown.
With these points in mind, I don’t think Rabina can win the working class vote. Even if Lutfur felt duty bound to back her, she can’t win this.
It’s very foolish of her to run, because it will damage her future with the Labour Party. If she sought to rejoin she could look at running at the next election. If she runs against Rushanara in this one, she’s never coming back.
Agree with all this. If Rushanara had voted for action yesterday, different story though
I don’t know how you, Dan McCurry, claim to know that: ‘Rushanara is not unpopular in the Bangladeshi community’
I doubt you have many Bangladeshi friends based on the shockingly crass, racist comment you made during this Thursday’s Labour AGM, I thought it was remarkable that you didn’t get chucked out the room and Abdal’s piss take of your inability to differentiate between 2 Bengali guys with Bengali names “Call him Peter, call him Paul” was spot on!!!
I have many Bangladeshi friends and I certainly know quite a few Bangladeshi Labour party members who do not have much confidence in Rushanara as their MP. She does not seem to be ‘one of us’ and comes over as snobby and careerist. She certainly has to up her game, work a bit harder, and become more down to earth, and she has to do this very quickly.
Rushanara is a threat to herself.
He lack of snobby ways lack of real engagement with local issues is the threat to her rather than the Rabina Khan, (anyone who has seen Rabina performing in council would see that, while obviously accomplished, she is truly a nasty piece of work),
Also how could you even contemplate the return of Rabina Khan to Labour? do you have a death wise for Tower Hamlets Labour Party? We have enough bad eggs already.
What were the remarks at AGM?
I think they are both very strong women! I have never seen Rushnara on the ground, like I have done with Rabina! I am a fan of Rabina Khan, you all should read the book Aysha’s rainbow!
She has done a lot for the whole community not just the Bangladeshi community! Can we stop segregating ourselves! We talk about other peoples racist remarks, then make borderline comments ourselves! Rabina and Rushnara are not puppets on strings and they are not just there to represent the Bagladeshi Community! Likewise with David Cameron and Ed they are not there for just the English community, no one mentions their popularity with the English community!
Some of these comments are ludachris! They are both very strong intellectual women, they are an inspiration to many others, and goodluck to them both! People should’nt be voting because of their colour of skin or on which one is more of a Muslim, people should vote on their merits as polititions and services to the whole community!
It makes me really angry when people talk about a particular community! We have come a long way since the BNP in Tower Hamlets, do we want to create another version of that for our children tomorrow???
In my experience of politics,
»»» (anyone who has seen Rabina performing in council would see that, while obviously accomplished, she is truly a nasty piece of work), «««
… is typical of a real Labour politician – local and national. They seem to have a ‘something’ not conspicuous in Tories, Lib Dims, UKIP or in ordinary people.
‘Nastiness’ and back-stabbing are the only means of advancing oneself within the Labour Party.
Curious Cat.
Alima,
You are considering the topic from the perspective of a, presumably, Bangladeshi point of view.
Some of us, if not all of us, were considering the matter from a non-racial, non-skin colour, non-clique, non-gender and non-religious perspective.
More social and work integration would, I really do hope, remove the barriers between the diminishing whites and everyone else. The best solution for all civilisations is integration, mutual respect on the basis that babies can’t chose their skin colour, the religion imposed on them by their parents, their names and their environment..
It is good we can be critical about on the basis of their behaviour and ability. Yes, slagging them-off as if they were whites – a real credit to integration.
The Bangladeshies must do more to integrate themselves into the general community. It will relax tensions and improve the quality of their lives. They should start attending adult education classes to compensate for their lack of a full primary and secondary education in Asia. One is never too old to learn new things.
Bangladeshies should stop pretending they are Bangladeshies if they are born in England or have acquired British passports. To continue this behaviour is to deliberately create artificial differences between sections of the local community. When it rains in England, everyone gets wet regardless of skin-colour, religion and racial name tags. We are all in this together.
If are born in the UK they are not Bangladeshies. Born in England makes the baby ENGLISH. The baby has no genuine roots outside England and the baby’s culture and principle language should be English – the same as the host nation’s culture and language. Only then will better integration succeed for the benefit of literally everyone.
Sister, essentially I am an optimist. Without hope one has nothing but misery.
Curious Cat.
I think being born in the UK does not make the baby English. This is about politics at the end of the day and there is not agreement on it. It makes you British as per our national citizenship. British-Bengali seems to be the preferred label.
English is an ethnicity and a cultural group and you can’t just become one, like you do not just become Welsh or Catalan or Saami or Naga just because of where you are born.
The first thing is you have to adopt English language and culture such as dress, cuisine, etc and that would mean abandoning Islam and having mainly English friends (which I think is forbidden in Islam). You then go the next step and your children intermarry. You become English that way and no other. Living in a self contained, insular, religious and linguistic ghetto does not make one English. It makes one a settler, a colonist.
I know people will disagree but they are being dishonest if they do. Their criticism comes from a Marxian view of culture and is not universally held.
»»» Maurice
It ought to.
If the baby, born in England, is then deliberately made to be different because the parents abhor and/or reject the loosely defined English way-of-life, society has a growing problem because dissent, division and hatred of the host country community are being nurtured.
Then they should jet-off to Bengal and practice being ‘British-Bengali’ there.
I wrote as a person who has lived as a native in several different countries. In each, I adopted the host country’s customs, tried to learn the language, eat the host countries food and wore identical clothing to that of the host county’s people. I never ever tried to establish a ‘British’ or ‘UK’ community to rival the host country’s community – nor would I because I made good friends within the host countries’ community.
I was happy to fit-in and become a full-time member of the host country’s community and society. If I can do this alone, and on my own, why can’t others ?
Sorry CC but despite all your arguments I still think you’re fundamentally wrong. There are ethnicities and cultures around the world and you can live amongst them. If you try very hard indeed it might be possible to be accepted as one of them on a cultural level but that requires a wholesale adoption of the host culture. It is only possible for future generations to become ethnically whatever through intermarriage. I appreciate it is not what a lot of people like to hear but it is the view held by most of my compatriots, of that I’m certain.
An Englishman working and living in Bengal in the 18th Century meets an English lady while back in England, marries her and returns with her to Calcutta. They have children who are born in Bengal to English parents. Are those children Bengali? Obviously not.
Another example is the dear friend of mine, the Anglo-Greek Nigerian. His parents are English and Greek. He speaks both languages and knows both cultures. He was born in Nigeria when it was a colony. He applied for Nigerian CITIZENSHIP just to see but they rejected him because he wasn’t an ethnic Nigerian (e.g. Hausa or Yoruba).
The whole I’m English just because I was born in England is politically motivated. My son was born in the East End but I don’t presume to say he’s Cockney.
»»» Maurice,
I suppose the qualifying criteria is the intention to stay in the adopted country or to return to the original country.
Whether to start a new life in the adopted country or whether to “go home” after a period of time has elapsed.
CC.
»»» Maurice
Re: Anglo-Greek Nigerian.
How can anyone born in England really be a full-blown Asian (meaning from the Indian sub-continent) ?
Children of South and Central Americans inhabitants who are born in the US of A boast they are “American citizens”. Obviously some pride involved.
Now you are advocating plausible arguments they could justify the English born children of the flood of people from the Indian sub-continent as not being “English”.
The Indian government regards their nationals domiciled in England as NRI and discriminates against them including withdrawing some citizens rights – as the Indians complain to me. NRI = non-resident Indians.
The central government should persuade community leaders to tell their flocks, if they intend to stay here they should become “English”.
Another UK mess ?
Curious cat.
You can say what you like but simply being born in a geographical location does not make you culturally or ethnically part of a nation of people.
If I was to accept someone who isn’t English as English just because they were born geographically in England it would undermine and diminish my cultural identity. It is a strategic attack on my culture, on my heritage, it is designed by Marxists to ruin it and I and millions of others – clearly the majority of English people – reject it strongly.
Mon cher Maurice,
1. This is a generic point, so do not interpret it very personally. None of us know who our father factually was. One can summarise but unless one does a DNA test there is no absolute certainty.
2. Your personal “kultural identity” is derived from your parents ?, your upbringing ?, your environment ? or from where precisely ?
So a baby born in England is a potential or actual treat to your “cultural identity” You could be an unspecified threat to my “cultural identity”. Surely you make an excellent argument for better integration ?
So a baby born in England is (obviously unknown to the baby) “a strategic attack” on your culture ? No attack hopefully whilst the baby is still breast-feeding and wearing nappies ? Another good reason for integration ?
…. and on your abstract “heritage” which belonged to others in modified forms before you claimed it as your own ? You, like your claimed heritage, are transient – metaphorically here today and gone tomorrow. Nothing stays the same except perhaps scientific values ?
The facts for the UK are the whites are on the way out or at best will become an ethnic minority. Heritages and cultures will evolve. Don’t forget your claimed heritage and culture used to hang starving people who stole bread to eat, and put alleged witches under the water – your wonderful culture and heritage stated if the person floated they were guilty of being a witch. If they drowned they were innocent. Pretty ghastly and very embarrassing culture and heritage to adhere to 🙂 Just how does one’s culture and heritage resurrect a dead “innocent” person ?
Curious Cat.
You have totally distorted what I said. A non-English baby born in England is not a threat. When someone who is not culturally or ethnically England is “declared” to be English when they are palpably not; that is.
You are not English just because you say you are or just because of where you are born. There are millions of people born in the UK who are British Citizens but are NOT English.
Sorry curious – we’re not giving in!
‘Rushanara is not unpopular in the Bangladeshi community’ Really? Have you forgotten the vile smears she has been subjected to?
Alima – You are the first person to mention skin colour. The discussion has only ever been about their relative merits. Nobody else mentioned their sex, segregation or different parts of the community. Stop trying to be divisive.
During the elections for officer positions Dan McCurry mumbled something to the effect that he would find it rather challenging to vote on one of the posts as the 2 candidates were both Bengali men so it would be difficult to tell one from the other and we may muddle up their names!!
So Abdal, obviously recognising that Mr McCurry has ‘special needs’, helpfully labelled the 2 candidates “Peter” and “Paul” for Dan’s benefit – classic
Who did get voted into what officer positions after all that intellectual confusion?
Mmmhmmmm..interesting. Recently I spotted Rabina getting off the Jubilee Line at Westminster. She hasn’t been measuring the curtains already, surely.
@Say it like it is
I didn’t mumble, I clearly said that it would help to have people’s names on the ballot paper before us when voting so that there is no confusion. If that was insensitive, I apologise.
@ Ted, the most interesting vote was for Campaigns officer. Asma Islam, wife of Wais, got double the votes of Debbie, who I believe has her name on the law suit against Lutfur’s election. Asma gave a very good speech which helped.
Yes it was interesting Dan – I have learnt a lot from it – don’t forget I am only a learner and didn’t really expect to win 🙂
I’m proud I have the guts to be on the petition
I am proud of everyone who has had the guts to make statements about the shocking things that went on at the election.
Maybe I can use this platform to say that we have till Thursday evening to get further evidence so if anyone has any instances especially of:
Intimidation
Labour or John Biggs being called racist
People saying its your religious duty “imani deito” to vote Labour
Dodgy postal vote issues or people being unable to vote
ESPECIALLY people who attended some of Lutfur’s campaign meals – particularly the one at Regent’s Lake on 10th May
PLEASE, PLEASE get in touch (Ted will pass on to me or DM me on twitter)
thanks & thanks to you Dan for allowing me to slip this in 🙂
Debbie – do you have an email address?
Maybe she was visiting Galloway and nursing his sore face
I said that ballot papers should be distributed ahead of the votes so that people can be have everyone’s names before them when they hear speeches. I thought it would be useful for people who are new and don’t know everyone, particularly since many of the Bangladeshis have double barrelled names. I didn’t mean to cause offence.
What was the vote? Which speeches?
I think you did sweetie
If you did what you say you did, Dan, then that sounds perfectly reasonable. I can imagine you are not very popular in THLP and so maybe people were looking for fault…
Rabina Khan is another Shelina Akhtar – the only difference is that Akhtar got convicted for her housing benefit fraud and Khan got away with a 1.5 mile cab journey that TH residents had to pay 120.63 pounds for.
It is worth revisiting the list of Khan’s expenses claims for 2012. No matter how loud and aggressive she is in the council chambers, no matter how many long words she throws in, nothing changes the facts – this is a manipulative, cynical and greedy woman. Her expenses speak louder than words – even the longest ones.
We are not talking about a single error of judgement, one off mistake, moment of madness – this is a list of repetitive examples showing an absolute lack of respect to residents of this borough.
Why would Rabina pay for and then publish a black and white portrait of herself gazing into the camera like that?
Not sure what she’s trying to get across. Anyone?
It reminds of those ads you see featuring photographs of women advertising dodgy photographers’ studios.
Rushanara is more competent and smarter than Rabina. But then again, Tower Hamlets is a funny place.
I saw a picture like that in a phone box once
Yes of course you did Grave, u r a punter. That’s why you remember those photos in the phone box. The rest of us just ignore those photos and move on.
What’s a “punter”, please enlighten me
Curious Cat, you should stop telling Bangladeshis what to do, go and suck a fish bone instead.
»»» Imran,
Why don’t you want full community integration in the host country ? The majority don’t want to create another Bangladesh in England.
Keeping separate from the other citizens in the host country is bad manners and rude. If you really want to be ONLY a Bangladeshi then get a one-way ticket to Bangladesh.
If you want to be British / English it means ending the deliberate segregation, integrating with the host country’s community and adopting the host country’s language, customs and culture.
Your choice.
Curious Cat.
I agree with you on most things CC but British and English are NOT the same thing!
Cher Maurice,
I concur. British is not the same as English and will never ever be.
I long for the time when my country of birth will be called by its true name, England.
Curious Cat
I entertain the hope that England might one day declare independence from the rest of the UK… catch ’em by surprise
»»» Maurice,
As an ardent supporter of Scottish Independence, I also support having England as a separate country and away from the unwanted baggage of Northern Ireland and the stupid dual language sign posts in Wales.
Vote for Independence for England 🙂
Put pride back into the name of England.
CC.
And no, I am not a UKIP nutter.
I want to be a Martian millionaire. What do you think I should do Cat?
»»» Imran,
Do the lottery like everyone else and then hope 🙂
CC.
Children’s “author” is giving it credit where it doesn’t deserve it. Both her “books” are self published diatribes on racism and barely disguised attacks on white East Enders. One of the books, for example, is about this innocent, pure little Bengali girl who is far more intelligent than anyone else (basically it’s Ribena) and how she has to put up with all these horrid, stupid old white people who aren’t perpetually thrilled to watch the annihilation of their once vibrant communities.
Ribena would be an awful and deeply divisive MP. But Rushanara has been invisible at best.
Grave, Ribena is a maker of fruit juice. Rabina is the lady – the real reason why apparently Rushnara quit from the shadow cabinet.
The trouble is if it is so obvious that Rushnara resigned because of ulterior motives, then she’s not going to get much sympathy from her electorate. Her decision will backfire.
Also, I do not see the argument. Most Muslims/Bangladeshis in Bethnal Green & Bow probably support military action against IS.
Do you support military action?
Yes.
By Britain?
Yes, by Britain
Interesting. Am not sure it’s the prevalent view. I detect more in favour of the Galloway position..let Saudi etc do the bombing
Ted, it really depends on what you mean by the “prevalent view”. I support Lutfur as a LOCAL politician and mayor of a LOCAL council. As for NATIONAL issues, my views will probably be more aligned to the mainstream political parties. And you know what the “prevalent view” there is.
A children’s drink. That’s precisely the connection I wanted to make. To me she will always be Ribena.
I think it’s too much of a logical leap to conclude Rushanara resigned over the electoral threat from Lutfur’s Party: she has been consistent in her opposition to intervention in the Middle East in parliament and before becoming an MP.
Nonetheless, coming up against Rabina won’t be fun. Lutfur’s party will again run a campaign along religious, gender and class lines. They’ll turn it into the “Omg Rabina is married and Rushanara isn’t etc!” show.
However, it’s not certain Rabina will stand. Behind their united front, Tower Hamlets First is still a coalition and there are others who might fancy themselves as MP.
Take Abjol Miah for example. His face is currently adorning posters and adverts around the borough (masquerading as a resident doing some DIY or something) and has set up his own political office in Bethnal Green. Of course he was parliamentary candidate last time and brings activists, experience and a big voice to the Tower Hamlets First table.
Then you’ve got Ohid who fancies himself as a big beast too. Not a bosom buddy of Lutfur, he brings support from …certain… elements of Bangladeshi and local politics to the table. Surely he wants something in return, especially as he’s not Deputy Mayor any more…. Why not the candidacy for MP?
If you were Lutfur, would you dare risk pissing off one or two influential coalition partners by ignoring their desire to be MP?
Then again, if you were Lutfur would you dare sanction a parliamentary candidate and create a rival to your own image and power?
I’m not sure what I think of Rushanara. She doesn’t seem the most visible of local politicians – but then again she doesn’t have the £1m EEL publishing her mugshot week in week out like Lutfur does. It’s odd to have a local paper that only tells you what Lutfur & his cabinet get up to to (well the “good” things that is!) and all the other councillors and local MPs don’t get a look in.
If Rabina stood for MP, would she have to step down as a councillor beforehand; or only if she won; or could she keep both jobs?
You can be a councillor and MP simultaneously. In fact you can be London Mayor and an MP simultaneously. Of course, I have no doubt Rabina wouldn’t draw her Lbth allowance if she maintained her council seat.
However, she ain’t going to beat Rushanara. Ohid might stand a better chance, but does he have the bottle take on Rabina?
Ohid, really?? I think most people think he is a bit thick.
Can keep both jobs.
CC.