Who is Forhad Hussain?
Labours Candidate for the Mayoralty in May 2026
Forhad Hussain is the new Labour candidate for mayor.
Hussain will be known to many as he served as a councillor in Plaistow North between 2010-2018. He rose to the position of cabinet member for commercial opportunities and then crime and anti-social behaviour in the Wales administration. He also was the chair of audit and pensions.
This should serve him well. He comes in with a background of knowledge about the workings of the council. But eight years out of office will mean that the personal contacts have all disappeared, so in some ways he will be starting from scratch, building new relationships and determining who he can rely on. He will inherit Fiaz’s sixth chief exec, one which he is unlikely to have had a hand in appointing.
He was brought up and educated in the borough, and in his non-political life became an engineer latterly focusing on project management where he has had experience working in multi-disciplinary civil engineering teams.
He has a long standing love of cricket and is an accomplished amateur player. He has served on Essex Cricket in the Community board and as a trustee to both London Cricket Trust and the England and Wales Cricket Trust. If he is elected in 2026 we would confidently predict that grass roots cricket becomes more prominent.
He was one of a number of young Muslims who left Labour in the wake of the 2003 Iraq invasion and joined the Respect Party. That was a sojourn that did not last long and Hussain is viewed now as more of a pragmatist.
In terms of his personality, if elected he will breathe fresh air into the fourth floor. Hussain, however is viewed as likeable, intelligent and willing to listen. There are no suggestions that he is abusive and political colleagues and former staff members continue to speak well of him as a person.
He is a husband and father of two daughters.
But the job that he, (if elected), will inherit is a daunting one. Cutting spending without tearing the Labour Group apart will be no easy task.