BI – ELECTION LOSS ADDS TO LABOUR WOES
Shahanara Begum:
Following the defeat of the Labour Party Candidate in Spitalfields and Banglatown las
t Thursday Cllr Marc Francis sent an email to Labour Group Leader Cllr Abbas expressing his discontent at the management of Labour Group and resigning from the “Shadow Cabinet”.
After becoming the Opposition to Mayor Lutfur’s administration the ex-Labour Cabinet Members became mouthpieces of their previous positions in order to hold the current administration to account. It is from this position that Cllr Francis has resigned. He has not resigned the Labour Group Whip. This is the transcript of the email Francis sent to Abbas late evening last Friday: “Abbas, It is no secret that I was critical of a number of the decisions taken by Tower Hamlets Council during your previous four years as Labour’s Leader and sceptical when you became Group Leader again in May. However, at the encouragement of colleagues, I was willing to put those reservations to one side to serve in your interim administration and ensure Labour’s policies in the Housing, Heritage and Planning portfolio continued to be driven through to implementation. Like many others, I was deeply concerned at the methods you used to secure Labour’s candidacy for the Mayoralty and the nature of that campaign. But I was even more disappointed by your lack of interest in housing issues during the five months you were the interim Council Leader, especially on the reforms we were introducing to leasehold services and the Choice Based Lettings scheme to help overcrowded families. I also very strongly disagree with the decision to put £2 million into the Rich Mix Centre and the way this was done.
However, it is actually the general sense of drift and negativity under your Leadership that I believe is even more damaging to the Labour Party in Tower Hamlets than individual actions. With the Coalition Government cutting the Council’s budget and our residents’ rights, it is essential Labour’s leaders in Tower Hamlets stand up and be counted. Instead of doing that, you and some of those around you seem incapable of focusing on anything other than your personal dispute with the Mayor. This is borne out by yesterday’s disastrous result in the Spitalfields & Banglatown byelection.
Our candidate, Abdul Alim, worked hard to win and the loss of this council seato to Respect is certainly no refection on him or the ordinary Labour party members who put so much into the campaign. but sometimes working hard is not enough, especially when polling on a bitterly cold day. We have to inspire people with a reason to go out and vote too. From the residents I spoke to on the doorstep, there is clearly lingering unhappiness about the approach you have taken as Labour’s Leader locally. No doubt you will dispute this fact. But the result was unequivocal. And the responsibility to inspire any more than the 553 people (6.3 per cent of the electorate) to vote Labour in the ward you represent and which was one of our safest, must lie squarely with you. I am sorry if that sounds harsh, but leaders have to take the rough with the smooth and the electorate has given Labour’s its clear message.
Labour Group decided last month to retain the previous Cabinet Members as spokespeople until other arrangements are agreed. I’m afraid, however, that I have completely lost confidence in your Leadership and cannot continue to serve in your “Shadow Cabinet”. I have waited until now to notify you because I did not want my resignation to become an issue in the election. Given yesterday’s dreadful result and that a decision how Labour Group will determine spokespeople appears to be some way off, I am resigning with immediate effect. I am copying this email to members of Labour Group so there is no misunderstanding of the reasons for my decision. Yours sincerely, Marc” Francis’s decision not to work with Abbas follows that of Cllrs Shahed Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Abdul Asad announced last month. Frances had also broken the Labour Party Whip at the last Council Meeting when he voted on a motion regarding licensing.
This move has placed pressure on Labour Group Leader Abbas to make way for new progressive leadership. The feelings within Labour Group and Party Members suggest possible candidates to be David Edgar who is an accountant with a strong academic background, Sirajul Islam who ran in the Mayoral contest and able to work amicably with all sections of the political spectrum, Abdal Ullah a previous member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and community activist or Amy Whitelock who has proven herself to be competent, eager to learn and fresh addition in the last election and unmarred by internal politics. Cllr Helal Abbas was unavailable for comment.
Fozol Miah who’s victory at the election at Spitalfields and Banglatown sparked the current disagreement said: “Marc is a competent and extremely hardworking councillor and popular with politicians accross the spectrum, it is unfortunate that the turmoil within the Labour Group has meant the resignation of such a talented politician.”
Cllr Miah who lost his seat at the last election for the same ward won by 666 votes, Labours Abdul Alim received 553, Conservative Matt Smith came third with 135 votes, Maggie Crosbie of the Green Party getting 52 votes, Ferdy North of the Lib Dem Party got 33 votes and independent candidate Jewel Choudhury received 28 votes.