Tag Archives: Newham Independents

Even more independent

12 Jan

Nur Begum election leaflet

Leaflet posted to Facebook by Little Ilford councillor Nur Begum

Little Ilford councillor Nur Begum only crossed the floor to the Newham Independents in November, but it looks like she’s already moving on.

In a post on her Facebook page she describes herself as a ‘Solo Independent Neutral Councillor Candidate’.

Her ‘six point plan’ to Make Newham Great Again (seriously, councillor?) is a combination of Newham Independent gripes – parking charges (twice!), freezing council tax, free bulky waste collection – and actual Labour achievements like free school meals.

She says

Labour has presided over years of decline in our borough

while failing to mention that she sat for the better part of four years as a Labour councillor. 

She goes on

Unlike the big parties, I have only one priority: You. I will work tirelessly every single day to deliver the improvements that the Little Ilford deserves

Her defection to NIPs came after she failed to win re-election as a Labour candidate. Obviously I have no insight into why she was let go, but one might reasonably speculate that a failure to work tirelessly for her residents was a factor. 

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Candidates assemble!

7 Jan

The three biggest parties in Newham politics have announced their candidates to replace Rokhsana Fiaz as mayor in May’s local elections.

Forhad Hussain and fellow Labour candidates

Labour’s candidate will be Forhad Hussain. Like all of the party’s candidates, he was selected by a special panel of the National Executive Committee. Hussain previously served as councillor for Plaistow North from 2010 to 2018 after standing unsuccessfully on the Respect ticket in 2006. He held a couple of positions in Robin Wales’ cabinet and chaired the audit committee. I’m not sure what he’s been doing politically for the past eight years, though as the local Labour parties have been suspended for five of them it’s perhaps not surprising his profile has been a bit low.

Newham Independents announce Mirza for Mayor

To absolutely no-one’s surprise the Newham Independents will be nominating Cllr Mehmood Mirza as their candidate. I’m afraid I couldn’t get a better picture as both Mirza and his party have blocked me from all their socials. Mirza has been councillor for Boleyn ward since winning a by-election a couple of years ago. He now leads a group of five councillors with, shall we say, diverse political histories (from Corbynites to Conservatives) but united by a sense of grievance with the Labour party and a penchant for owning multiple properties. Mirza was once a candidate for a seat on the party’s NEC and was vice-chair for membership of the West Ham constituency party before being suspended. 

Areeq Chowdhury, Green candidate for Mayor

Newham’s Green party was the official opposition on the council before Mirza’s party turned up. Their two councillors elected in Olympic Park ward were later joined by Areeq Chowdhury after he defected from Labour. Cllr Chowdhury has represented Canning Town North since 2022, where he was a late addition to the slate after a previously selected candidate was dropped.

There is a yet no word from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats or Reform, but all are sure to put their hat in the ring. Maybe the Christian Peoples Alliance will have another go too. This post will be updated as and when.

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Not so independent

14 Jun

The defintion of independent

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘independent’ as “not belonging to or supported by a political party.”

Which creates a paradox for Cllrs Mehmood Mirza, Sophia Naqvi and Zuber Gulamussen.

At the start of June the Electoral Commission approved the Newham Independents Party’s application to register as a political party. So now the Independents are a party, they are no longer independents.

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Further matters of interest

5 Jan

Cllr Sophia Naqvi posing with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

What does Jeremy think about buy-to-let landlords?

Cllr Sophia Naqvi’s register of interests has been published and it reveals that she, like the leader of her political group, is a multi-property owning landlord.

In addition to the home they live in, Cllr Naqvi and her partner own a further five properties in Newham – two in her own name, two in her spouse’s and one jointly owned. No doubt a tax-efficient arrangement of assets.

The latest recruit to the Landlords Alliance is former councillor Idris Ibrahim, who will be one of the three candidates for Green Street West. As the final register of interests from his single previous term shows, he is very much a junior member – just the one extra house. 

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