Lutfur Rahman elected mayor for the fourth time

Mayor Lutfur Rahman

Lutfur Rahman has been re-elected Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets for a fourth term after securing 35,679 votes in a high-turnout election held on 8 May.

We made history and set an example to the rest of the country as the first council to introduce universal free school meals for all primary and secondary school children, and the first council to reverse national government cuts — from restoring the Education Maintenance Allowance scrapped by the Tories to bringing back Winter Fuel Payments cut by Labour. -Lutfur Rahman

The result marked a major setback for the Labour Party. Labour candidate Sirajul Islam received 19,454 votes, just 231 votes ahead of the Green Party candidate, who secured 19,223 votes.

Rahman first made history in 2010 as the first person of colour elected as an Executive Mayor in the UK. After further victories in 2014 and 2022, this latest result marks his fourth election win as Executive Mayor.

His party, Aspire, also made political history in 2022 by becoming the first party outside Labour, the Conservatives, or the Liberal Democrats to win overall control of a London borough council.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his political movement Your Party publicly endorsed Rahman and Aspire during the campaign. Corbyn joined the campaign launch and said Rahman had “shown what a transformative local council looks like.” Writing in the Standard, he also encouraged other councils to “follow the example of Tower Hamlets.”

Rahman’s new manifesto includes plans to make Tower Hamlets the first council in the country to introduce free public transport for students from low-income families. The proposal follows earlier flagship policies introduced under Aspire, including universal free school meals for all primary and secondary pupils and the restoration of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

Under the proposal, travel passes covering the Tube, London Overground, and buses would be funded for eligible students using Transport for London services. The initiative is intended to help students continue into further and higher education without being restricted by travel costs. The idea has drawn comparisons with similar international proposals, including New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to remove bus fares.

Speaking after the victory, Mayor Lutfur Rahman said:

“Thank you to the people of Tower Hamlets for placing your faith in me to continue delivering our groundbreaking cost of living support and transformative programme of affordable and social homebuilding.

“Thank you for choosing the politics of hope over fear and division. Our opponents resorted to increasingly desperate and divisive attacks in an attempt to stop us, including AI-generated fake videos of me to spread misinformation. A former Tory MP even urged white residents and ‘non-Bengali speakers’ in Tower Hamlets to ‘vote as a bloc’ against me as the ‘favourite son among the Bangladeshi community’.

“In the face of a far right on the march, here in Tower Hamlets, we are proud to be one of the most diverse places in the UK and one of the most cohesive, which elected me as the first person of colour to become Executive Mayor in the UK.

“In 2022, Aspire became the first party outside Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to win a London borough outright. The people of Tower Hamlets wanted an alternative to Labour and Tory austerity, and they helped lead a shift that has now become a political earthquake felt across London and the UK.

“We made history and set an example to the rest of the country as the first council to introduce universal free school meals for all primary and secondary school children, and the first council to reverse national government cuts — from restoring the Education Maintenance Allowance scrapped by the Tories to bringing back Winter Fuel Payments cut by Labour.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. I hope the new progressive administrations elected today will follow our lead, adopt similarly transformative policies, and work together to deliver real change for our communities.”

Meanwhile, neighbouring Newham elected Forhad Hussain as its new mayor with 25,538 votes, replacing former mayor Rokhsana Fiaz.

Hussain said “This marks the beginning of a new chapter for Newham. Over the next four years, I want to work for all the people of the borough.”

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