Labour coronation for John Biggs over the heads of local members

London Labour Party officials have given losing mayoral candidate John Biggs a chance to make it “fourth time lucky” by announcing that he will be the Party’s candidate in the re-run election for Tower Hamlets Mayor, to be held on 11th June.

Biggs has long been the favoured candidate of the London Labour Party leaders. Shortly after the Tower Hamlets electors voted to have a directly elected mayor, in May 2010, the London Party announced that party members in Tower Hamlets could choose their candidate – from a shortlist of John Biggs and sitting Councillors Shiria Khatun and Siraj Islam. The last two were widely seen as token candidates who were chosen to make the shortlist look balanced in terms of ethnicity and sex and, as they had little personal support, would allow Biggs a safe run to being selected (the two went on to gain a couple of dozen votes each in the eventual selection). The High Court ruled that the London Party’s processes had not been fair and a new shortlist had to be produced. The final shortlist included Cllr Lutfur Rahman, who went on to beat John Biggs into second place.

Tower Hamlets Labour Party members did select John Biggs to be their candidate in the second mayoral election, in 2014 – but from a shortlist picked again by London officials which omitted popular local figures such as Cllr David Edgar. Biggs went on to lose the election.

On this occasion, the London Party has dispensed even with the need for a vote of local members by imposing John Biggs as their candidate directly, without giving local members an opportunity to vote. It is understandable that they were reluctant to run a voting process given that local members are busy campaigning in the General Election. However, that does leave local potential contenders such as Labour Group Leader Cllr Rachael Saunders out in the cold.  Cllr Saunders came a close second to John Biggs in the 2014 selection and, Labour having lost the eventual election, may well have hoped to stand for selection in 2018 on a level playing field with other contenders. If Biggs is elected in 2015 and seeks re-selection in 2018, she will have to take on the more difficult task of defeating an incumbent.

The news that Biggs will be the candidate was released by Tower Hamlets Labour Party Communications Officer Helen Charles, who hinted at the local Party’s approval of the process and candidate by referring to the process as a “selection” rather than as an imposition by party officials.

Speaking after the news of his appointment was released, Biggs made it clear that the coming re-run election would be, in effect, a grudge match. He couldn’t resist a swipe at the man who beat him in the last contest, referring in negative terms to Lutfur Rahman – but not to Mayor Rahman’s many popular policies.

When he stood in the 2014 mayoral election, Biggs avoided questions on whether, if elected, he would resign as one of Labour’s London Assembly Members. Nor has he covered such vital issues in his comments on being selected for the re-run. Until he clarifies his position, it seems that the Labour Party is, once again, offering the people of Tower Hamlets a part-time mayor.