The Spin is On

It looks like Newham Recorder have simply regurgitated the letter sent by the Labour Party to Labour Party members in Newham, that Mayor Fiaz is “standing down” from her position. How noble of her. Question: Is she standing down or was she was rejected by the Labour Party?

Clearly no-one at The Recorder bothered to ask whether she submitted an application to the Labour Party to be considered as the candidate for 2026 (on the 24th July). Nor did they follow up with a question asking whether she was interviewed. Nor did they ask either her or the Labour Party, asking why she was unsuccessful.

(We could offer the following answers; she did, she was, and because she has been an unmitigated disaster for the borough and the Labour Party. If Mayor Fiaz would like to correct us, we’re all ears.)

They do go on to reflect on what might have caused the Labour Party to lose faith in Ms Fiaz and cite the “ ‘C4’ grading by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after it found "very serious failings" and discovered thousands of yet-to-be-done repairs on Newham Council properties and fire safety works that were overdue by more than 12 months”. They note that Housing cabinet member, Cllr Shaban Mohammed (eventually) resigned from his post and include a quote from Green councillor, Areeq Chowdhury calling Newham Council a “dangerous, slum landlord”. Ouch!

But the rest of the article is largely a cut-and-paste from the Fiaz letter, (see below).

They do not reflect upon allegations of bullying both staff and her political colleagues. They do not mention that she has had six chief execs in seven years and the embarrassment of a £239,000 pay out with an NDA to the last one. They did not consider Newham’s precarious financial position to have been a factor worthy of mention. Likewise, her bizarre action in taking the council she headed to court for racial and sexual discrimination was not referred to. The history of antisemitism in Newham Labour Group was evidently not worthy of comment.

It appears that the Labour Party have given her a face-saving way out. And that, it seems is good enough for The Recorder.

Shame, it was once essential reading for anyone interested in the life of the borough.

Here is the text of the Fiaz letter should you want to compare it with the Recorder article:

I wanted you to be the first to know that I am not standing as Labour’s candidate for the Mayor of Newham in next May’s mayoral elections.

I stood for election as Labour’s Mayor in 2018 because I care passionately about Newham and its people, in the place I’ve grown up and dearly love. I showed what Labour in power locally can do to change lives.

Above all, it has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life to serve the people of our wonderful borough as your Labour Mayor of Newham, and I will continue to champion and advocate for our residents’ day-in, day-out because of my enduring Labour values until I step down in May 2026.

My Labour values lead me to serve with integrity and honour; courageously striving to always do my best in the interests of Newham and its people.

I love the opportunity to make our borough fairer, more tolerant, more green and healthier; more democratic and more prosperous for all. I’ve have always done so with passion and an unshakeable spirit of progress for the people we serve, in collaboration with them and committed colleagues at the Council.

Service to people and the opportunity to transform lives is the highest honour we can have as members of the Labour Party, and I am proud that together with local members and Labour Councillors we have changed so much in our borough for the better because of our Labour values.

More homes people can afford, more jobs and opportunities, investment for our children and young people and an enduring commitment in helping people lead financially secure lives. I know that further improvements are needed at the Council to deliver best value, and the fairer Labour ambitions we all have for our people. That is why my focus is delivering on my mission of opportunity Newham for them, now and always.

The change we have seen over the last seven years because we are Labour has been significant: delivering award-winning new council homes our people can afford and so desperately needed; investing millions to restore neglected estates and neighbourhoods, including Carpenters, Custom House and Canning Town; building an inclusive growth economy locally where people are paid the London Living Wage, and are equipped with the skills and opportunities to thrive; and believing in our young people and their potential, making sure Newham is the best place for them to grow up and lead happy lives.

I’m proud that as a committed Labour team at the Council we are tackling poverty, racism, discrimination; and disadvantage, and responding to the climate emergency through our Just Transition plan. Our focus on tackling inequality and driving opportunity has meant that our diverse communities are being enabled to be  healthy and financially secure. Through our People Powered Places initiative, we have shifted power and decision-making from the council to the community. This is what as Labour in Newham has achieved.

I have also been open and honest about the deep seated challenges the council has faced, such as the entrenched failures that led to our housing services being awarded a C4 rating by the social housing regulator; the extreme pressures as a result of London’s housing crisis and unprecedented numbers needing temporary accommodation that required us to seek Exceptional Financial Support from government.

Most recently the non-statutory Best Value notice, requiring us to demonstrate to our Labour government and residents that our Labour-led Council can deliver the transformation and change needed, at the pace required shows the scale of the challenges that are entrenched. This is because of 14-years of Tory failures, which our Labour government is now reversing through its Plan for Change.

Already at the Council, there’s a comprehensive transformation and improvement plan in place, supported by independent experts.

I wish Labour’s next candidate for Mayor of Newham every success in continuing incredible journey for the benefit of our people and communities, and building on the legacy I started when I stepped into office in 2018 to serve.
 
Service to people and the opportunity to transform lives is the highest honour we can do as Labour members. That’s why I am proud as your Labour Mayor that together with the people of Newham, dedicated Labour Councillors and staff at the Council, we have changed so much in our borough for the better as a Labour team, even though there is more to do.

As we head to the elections next May let’s all remain committed to securing Labour’s ongoing successes locally with a brilliant Labour Mayor of Newham, leading a dedicated team of purposeful Labour councillors; and let’s campaign to win.

Yours in solidarity, 

Rokhsana Fiaz OBE
Labour and Co-operative Mayor of Newham