Bangladesh-Origin Politicians Gain Ground in Newham Election

Labour politician Forhad Hussain has been elected as the new Mayor of Newham, marking a major moment for the British Bangladeshi community in East London politics.

His victory came after one of the borough’s most competitive local elections in recent years, where voters delivered a sharply divided council result and highlighted the growing influence of Bangladesh-origin politicians across local government.

Mr Hussain secured 25,538 votes in the mayoral race, becoming the borough’s first newly elected mayor in eight years. He succeeds Rokhsana Fiaz, who completed two consecutive terms leading the council under the Labour banner.

Following the announcement, Mr Hussain described the result as the beginning of “a new chapter” for Newham. He said the election showed that democracy works when people are willing to serve their communities and promised to work across every area of the borough after officially taking office next week.

Before winning the mayoralty, Mr Hussain served as a Labour councillor for Plaistow North from 2010 until 2018. During his earlier years in local government, he handled major cabinet responsibilities connected to commercial development, crime prevention and anti-social behaviour initiatives.

The election also underlined the increasing political visibility of British Bangladeshis within Newham Council itself. Candidates of Bangladeshi heritage won seats across both the Labour Party and the Newham Independents Party, especially in areas with large Bangladeshi populations including East Ham, Green Street, Plaistow and Wall End.

Among the successful candidates for the Newham Independents Party were Muhammad Tarek Aziz, Moniba Khan and Mehmood Mirza in Boleyn ward. In Green Street East, Sunny Chowdhury and Md Zakir Hossain also secured victories for the party.

Labour continued to maintain strong support in several wards through Bangladesh-origin councillors including Aleya Hussain, Sanawar Hussain, Imam Haque and Shantu Ferdous.

Overall, Labour Party emerged as the largest political group on the council with 26 seats. The Newham Independents Party followed closely with 24 seats, while the Green Party achieved a significant breakthrough by winning 16 seats.

Several wards produced closely contested results that reflected shifting political loyalties across East London. In Beckton, Labour retained all three seats through Syed Ahmed, Tonii Wilson and Blossom Young.

Canning Town North saw a split outcome, with Green Party candidate Imogen Anderson elected alongside Labour representatives Aleya Hussain and Shaban Mohammed. Meanwhile, Labour and Co-operative Party candidates successfully defended all seats in Canning Town South and Custom House.

The Newham Independents Party made strong gains in East Ham, where Abdul Halim, Syed Taqi Jawad Naqvi and Begum Sahera won election victories. Labour retained East Ham South through Sanawar Hussain, Susan Masters and Lakmini Shah.

The Green Party also expanded its influence across the borough. In Forest Gate South, all three seats were won by Arshan Bakaran, Zahra Kheyre and Jack Pickard. Forest Gate North produced another mixed outcome with Green councillor Matthew Carlile elected alongside Labour representative Rachel Elizabeth Tripp.

Green Street West became another major success story for the Newham Independents Party, with all three seats secured by candidates including Rumana Salim Bhuiyan Liza and Qasim Yaseen.

In Little Ilford, the independents again dominated as Tahir Mirza, Oli Rahman and Nasreen Shamima all won seats. Labour, however, maintained full control of Manor Park through victories for Imam Haque, Salema Khatun and Salim Patel.

Plaistow North delivered another divided result. Nizam Ali and Sophie Naqvi were elected for the Newham Independents Party, while Labour’s Zulfiqar Ali secured the remaining seat. Plaistow South was completely won by the independents through MD Nazrul Islam, Obaid Khan and Tamzied Hossain Khan.

Elsewhere in Stratford and Royal Victoria, the Green Party strengthened its presence further. Danny Keeling, Chae Ho Hwang and Sonia Quintero captured all Stratford ward seats, while Nate Higgins and Joe Hudson-Small were elected in Stratford Olympic Park.

Wall End also saw a complete sweep by the Newham Independents Party through Kumar Anand, Muhammad Majeed and Noman Md Abu.

Political observers say the latest election reflects the growing maturity and influence of British Bangladeshi political leadership within East London. Newham has long been home to one of the United Kingdom’s largest Bangladeshi communities, and the latest results are expected to strengthen Bangladesh-origin representation in civic leadership, local decision-making and community affairs for years to come.

The election also signals changing political dynamics in East London, where Labour continues to dominate overall but now faces stronger competition from independent candidates and the Green Party in several traditionally safe areas.