East London News: Tower Hamlets Labour Party bosses have stopped dithering and have rushed through selection of their candidate for the Weavers ward by-election on 3rd May. The chosen one is local Labour Party member John Pierce.
Local Labour leaders will be in for a rough ride once the Party begins to meet again after the London Mayor election on 3rd May. Party bosses can expect to be quizzed about why they were suddenly permitted to open the panel of party members from which candidates can be selected to new applicants. They will also face a grilling over why Labour’s policy of standing at least one woman in every ward was ditched – in Spitalfields and Banglatown as well as in Weavers. Further questions are likely to be asked about why Labour Party members in the ward were not allowed to participate in the selection of their candidate.
Labour leaders involved in the selection of John Pierce were led by Josh Peck, Leader of the Labour Group of Councillors, and Chris Weavers, Chair of the Tower Hamlets Party. Also involved was Graham Taylor, former Chair of Tower Hamlets Labour Party who resigned his post in order to push for Tower Hamlets Technology College to apply for Academy status (contrary to the policy of his own Party and the Labour Group).
In choosing Pierce, Labour is choosing a fresh candidate without any complicated baggage in the ward. Pierce is said to be due to begin his campaign by going to meet the Bangladeshi community.