The Battle for Tower Hamlets, again!

Until very recently few people outside the Tower Hamlets political village had heard of Cllr Rabina Khan, but as the clock ticks down to the forced rerun for the Tower Hamlets Mayoralty, Khan is running the Labour Party favourite John Biggs a close race.

The election this Thursday came about due to the damning judgement on former Mayor Lutfur Rahman who was stripped of his victory due to irregularities. Rahman is contesting those judgements.

Most political pundits thought the then beaten Labour candidate Biggs would be a shoe-in this time round given the weak state of opposition parties in the borough.

But Khan, running as an Independent candidate, is proving a formidable opponent particularly as she has received the blessing of Rahman and many of his supporters.

If Khan turns the form book upside down this Thursday it would be an extraordinary victory. In doing so she would make history on many levels, not least becoming the first directly elected BME female Mayor not just the UK but also in Europe.

There are the ten candidates:

• Elaine Bagshaw, Liberal Democrats
• John Biggs, Labour Party
• Andy Erlam, Red Flag - Anti Corruption
• John Foster, Green Party
• Peter Golds, Conservative Party
• Vanessa Helen Hudson, Animal Welfare Party
• Hafiz Abdul Kadir, Independent
• Rabina Khan, Independent
• Nicholas McQueen, UKIP
• Md Motiur Rahman Nanu, Independent

Simon Woolley