Party members pick the candidate the establishment tried to stop

In Tower Hamlets, party members have voted for a mayoral candidate the party hierarchy repeatedly tried to stop. Lutfur Rahman, Leader of the Council until the elections in May, was forced more than once to take legal action in order to be considered by the membership. That action has now been more than justified by his selection.

We have previously reported attempts to prevent Lutfur standing here. Party members in Tower Hamlets have not been allowed to select their candidates freely for over a decade. On this occasion, interference by the national party was, in reality, the result of pressure from those who wished to prevent Lutfur being a candidate including local MP, Jim Fitzpatrick. Forty-five percent of local members supported Lutfur with their first preference (the detailed results can be found here). That was entirely predictable, as Jim Fitzpatrick and regional officials of the party knew all along. The bureaucratic interference in the right of local members to select their candidate was never justified in this case, and is never justified. If ever there are ever legitimate reasons to prevent a person being a Labour candidate, a case should be made explicitly in the appropriate place, based on evidence, and with the individual concerned able to answer the charges.

Lutfur Rahman was a good and effective leader of Tower Hamlets council. He will be a good Labour candidate, and a good Mayor. It’s time to let party members select their candidates without interference.