Rochdale and Newham after the By-election.
A by-election is not a general election. Turnout is typically low. Only 31,107 voters bothered to cast a vote in the Rochdale by-election, (compared to 46,476 in the 2019 general election). It is a chance to give the government a bit of a kicking without disturbing anything too much.
Newham Leads the Way.
In an embarrassing volte face, the Labour Party have been forced to remove their endorsement of Azhar Ali. Labour was defending a majority of over 9,000 and Ali was facing a serious challenge from George Galloway. Both men were seeking to capitalize on the Muslim vote in a by-election that was dominated by events in Gaza. Does that sound familiar?
Independent Candidate for East Ham Announced
We see that Momentum stalwart, Tahir Mirza has announced that he will be standing for the Independents against (Sir) Stephen Timms MP in the forthcoming general election.
Increasing Muslim Disenchantment with Labour
Our crystal ball is a little cloudy. We are thus, unable to say whether Labour’s problems are a temporary blip or whether we are seeing a permanent realignment.
Respect 2.0?
It may simply be that things are quiet on the home-news front, but we are beginning to see again, reports that Jeremy Corbyn MP is planning to start his own political party. The reports are said to emanate from ‘friends’ close to Corbyn.
Tory Joins the Independents
We see that Newham Independents have chosen a second candidate for Plashet Ward. This brings the running total of male/female declared candidates to 6:1. They have, as yet, chosen not to select any trans or non-binary candidates.
On this occasion they have chosen a former Tory activist and candidate.
The Shape of Things to Come?
When we interviewed Mehmood Mirza, he was at pains to point out that he wanted Newham Independents to be a broader coalition. He reminded us that he was a socialist and when he was in the Labour Party, he was on its left.
NIG Announce Full Slate for Green St West (Copy)
It seems that the Independent Group are dripping out the news to prolong the suspense, but we see that former Labour councillor, Idris Ibrahim will also go on the slate for Green St West.
Newham Independents are Recruiting
The Independent Group promised to begin recruiting for candidates in 2026 immediately after the Plaistow North byelection. They have been true to their word and have announced their candidate for Green St West. The whispers from Labour Group suggest that many of the current crop of Labour councillors do not intend to stand again in 2026. If this is true, Labour will be on the back foot when it comes to candidate selection, probably in March 2026.
Labour’s Lyn Brown MP still has Problems with the Muslim Community in Newham.
A letter, purporting to represent a large number of Muslim organisations in the borough has been written to Lyn Brown MP. Brown, readers will recall, chose not to vote for the SNP cease-fire motion.
The Picture which Shook the Election
The team supporting Sophia Naqvi published the picture above. (We have done similar.)
It named and showed the faces of five Newham Chief Execs in six years. The inference was that there was some problem between the Newham Mayor and her senior officers that meant that they didn’t stay around long.
Cllr Godfrey in the News Again, for all the wrong reasons.
Readers will note that we took down an article regarding Cllr Godfrey. This is rare and in this article we outline why.
Round Up of the Memes
We’ve collated the remainder of the memes below. The Naqvi campaign used humour and some acerbic reflections to make their points. These clearly hit home with the voters.
What Caused a 43% Swing Against Labour in Plaistow North?
Drawing up trends on the basis of three by-elections is clearly a dangerous exercise. However, there is clearly a substantial dissatisfaction with Newham Labour and this is being shown in the polls.
The Most Amusing Meme of the Campaign; a little bit of toilet Humour.
This has to be the outright winner. It combines humour whilst making a political point and does so without rancour. *****5 Stars!
Humiliation for Labour? Naqvi Takes Plaistow North
Nationally Labour is riding high. It seems that the fears shown by voters are being dispelled and the electorate are beginning to think that Keir Starmer might make a decent prime minister.
The Saddest Meme of the Campaign
The picture, shared on Twitter/X just days before the election, seems to sum up the difference between the two campaigns.
Is Labour Now Vulnerable in Newham?
On 24th November, Mehmood Mirza announced that Newham Independents would be seeking candidates to fight the local elections in June 2026. This may sound a little premature, particularly as Labour and the other parties have lately tended to select their candidates after the election is announced. But the momentum (no pun intended) is with the Independents and they are clearly intent on keeping up the pressure.
Newham Suddenly Finds an Army of Road Cleaners for Plaistow North
If there is one issue that Mehmood Mirza has campaigned on consistently over the past four years, it is the state of the roads. He has persistently highlighted the issues of litter and fly-tipping. It seems that all of his efforts have at last paid off.
Labour under pressure in East London
In a corner of east London today, a by-election is taking place in Plaistow, part of the London Borough of Newham. Labour won this seat by a landslide in 2022 by a 1500 vote margin. But things are now totally different after one of their councillor’s stepped down at the start of the Israel-Hamas war.