Purge at the Top: McLean and Rush Axed as Labour Cleans House

News is beginning to filter out of the Labour Party bunker. It seems that the party decision makers have decided that at least two prominent councillors are no longer wanted.

Former Deputy Mayor Charlene McLean (currently cabinet member for Resident Experience and Engagement) has been given the Spanish archer. The reasons for ditching Cllr McLean have not been stated so we don’t know whether it is incompetence or that she has fallen out of favour. Given that the architect of Newham’s disastrous performance in housing seems to have been approved and re-selected (Cllr Shaban Mohammed took Newham to the lowest score possible with the Social Housing Regulator), our suspicion is that it has nothing to do with competence and is because McLean is inextricably linked to the failure that was Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz’s tenure at the top of Newham Council.

Long time readers will be aware that Cllr McLean is the sole surviving member of the original Fiaz cabinet that was appointed in the wake of the May 2018 elections. Being a key Fiaz confidant perhaps it's, only right and proper, Charlene goes down with HMS Fiaz.

The Secretary of the majority Group, Cllr Simon Rush has also been dumped. You would think that someone in his position would be safe, but the rumours we hear are that he got a little too carried away with political games and has made himself unpopular with the party. Additionally we previously reported on Cllr Rush and his budding literary career.

More info as we get it.