THE fiercely-contested race for Labour nomination for the first-ever elected mayor of London’s East End is now back on track after being suspended. The selection had been put on hold’ in a legal tussle over whether to allow Tower Hamlets former council leader Lutfur Rahman, slammed in the Channel 4 Dispatches programme over alleged links with Islamic Forum for Europe, to be on the shortlist
THE fiercely-contested race for Labour nomination for the first-ever elected mayor of London's East End is now back on track after being suspended at the weekend.
The selection process had been put 'on hold' by Labour's national HQ in a legal tussle over whether to allow Tower Hamlets former council leader Lutfur Rahman, slammed in the Channel 4 Dispatches programme over alleged links with Islamic Forum for Europe dominating the Town Hall, to be on the shortlist.
He was rejected for the original list of three, along with current council leader Helal Abbas, before making a legal challenge last week.
A second shortlist of five was drawn up which included Abbas, but again excluded Rahman.
National general secretary Ray Collins stepped in and is understood to be allowing hustings for party members to meet shortlisted candidates to go ahead tomorrow and Wednesday after they had been cancelled.
It follows claims by Rahman who held a press conference in Brick Lane this-afternoon that he was back on the shortlist after all.
The final vote is this coming Saturday for local party members to select Labour's candidate to run for Tower Hamlets mayor on October 21 who would control a budget of �1 billion.
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