Fiaz in the Bunker

Ah, how history repeats itself — first as farce, then as parody.

Back in the heady days of 2018, as the battle for Labour’s mayoral candidacy in Newham reached fever pitch, Team Fiaz dropped a video that set tongues wagging across the borough. Borrowing the infamous scene from the film Downfall — the one where Hitler rants furiously in his bunker — the video was recut to portray the outgoing Mayor Sir Robin Wales as a delusional leader raging against the inevitable. Sharp, biting, and genuinely funny, it set the tone for a new kind of Newham campaign — one with memes, mischief, and just the right dose of malice.

Fast forward to 2025, and oh how the tables have turned.

A local wag — whose identity remains delightfully anonymous — has now given Rokhsana Fiaz the Bunker treatment. And let’s just say, it’s a masterpiece. In what feels like karmic symmetry, Fiaz is now the beleaguered figure at the centre of the storm, ranting (with subtitles) as the walls of power start to close in.

Rokhsana Fiaz in the Bunker Video Thumbnail

The clip — which we're hosting above for your viewing pleasure — is not only hilarious, it’s uncomfortably on-point. Tinged with more than a few truths, the satire hits hard: the internal chaos, the dwindling support, the whispers of an exit strategy. It’s all there, wrapped in absurdity and deadpan subtitles.

We must admit — five stars. An instant classic.

It’s becoming something of a tradition now in Newham politics: the Downfall meme as rite of passage. One wonders if this will become a formal stage in Labour’s selection process — manifesto, community support, and a bunker parody to seal the deal.

What’s undeniable is that we’ve come full circle. Fiaz once rode a wave of momentum and meme magic to the Town Hall. Now, as Labour prepares to select its candidate for the May 2026 elections, it seems she’s the punchline in someone else’s campaign.

And if we’re being honest, it’s very, very funny.