Aspire (political party)

Aspire is a minor political party in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets made up of councillors elected as members of Tower Hamlets First. After Tower Hamlets First was removed from the register following voting fraud and malpractice, its councillors formed the Tower Hamlets Independent Group (THIG).[1][2] After some defections, the remaining Tower Hamlets Independent Group councillors later registered formally as a political party in January 2018.[3] Most of its elected members were former Labour Party members, but there are a few exceptions. It was the largest and the main political opposition with elected councillors at the Tower Hamlets Council prior to the 2018 May elections.

Aspire
LeaderKalam Mahmud Abu Taher Choudhury
TreasurerJahed Bokth Choudhury
Nominating OfficerLilian Collins
Founded26 January 2018
Preceded byTower Hamlets First
Headquarters28 Castlemain Street
Whitechapel
London
IdeologySocial democracy
Localism
Tower Hamlets Council
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  • Politics of United Kingdom
  • Political parties
  • Elections

Background

Tower Hamlets First was established by Lutfur Rahman on 18 September 2013. The party stood candidates in the 2014 Tower Hamlets Council election,[4][5] where it won 18 out of 45 seats, becoming the second-largest party on Tower Hamlets Council and the fifth-largest political party out of all London borough councils. The party was suspended in 23 April 2015, after an election court report that found Rahman "personally guilty of 'corrupt or illegal practices' or both" with the party labelled as a "one-man band". The party was removed from the list of political parties maintained by the Electoral Commission on 29 April 2015.

Following the dissolution of Tower Hamlets First, the majority of former party members established the Tower Hamlets Independent Group (THIG) to co-ordinate activity on the council. Six members subsequently left the Tower Hamlets Independents to form the competing People's Alliance group.[6]

Although barred from running for elected office himself, Rahman is behind the party; Aspire is his second attempt at a new party after an application under the name 'Tower Hamlets Together'[7] was rejected.[8]

Initial representation

Between its formation and the May 2018 elections, Aspire councillors occupied 10 of the 45 council seats on the Tower Hamlets Council.[9]

Name Ward
Ohid Ahmed Lansbury
Suluk Ahmed Spitalfields & Banglatown
Mahbub Alam St Dunstan's
Gulam Kibria Choudhury Poplar
Harun Miah Shadwell
Md. Maium Miah Canary Wharf
Mohammed Mufti Miah Bromley North
Muhammad Ansar Mustaquim St Peter's
Oliur Rahman Stepney Green
Gulam Robbani Spitalfields & Banglatown

Ohid Ahmed was previously a Labour Party councillor and cabinet member between 2002 and 2010.[10] He was also the Labour Party candidate in West Suffolk at the 2010 general election,[11] and Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets between 2010 and 2014.[12] Harun Miah was formerly a Respect Party Councillor.[13] Maium Miah was formerly a Conservative Party councillor for Millwall before joining Tower Hamlets First, and stood in Canary Wharf ward in 2014.[14]

The party's general secretary, Lillian Collins, was formerly Labour's party chair in Tower Hamlets.[15]

2018 elections

Ohid Ahmed stood in the 2018 election for directly elected Mayor of Tower Hamlets,[16] coming third behind Labour and the People's Alliance of Tower Hamlets, a group that had earlier split from the Tower Hamlets Independent Group. Ahmed had been endorsed by Rahman.[15]

On 4 April 2018, Aspire launched its campaign for the borough elections in Tower Hamlets,[15] with a full slate of 45 council candidates.[17] It won no seats.

2019

Aspire stood in two council by-elections in Tower Hamlets on 7 February 2019, with Harun Miah winning the one in Shadwell ward and Ohid Ahmed coming second in Lansbury ward.[18]

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References
  1. Brooke, Mike. "Tower Hamlets councillors storm out over vote to cooperate with police probing corrupt Lutfur Rahman election".
  2. "Exclusive: Lutfur Rahman making political comeback with new party". 24 January 2017.
  3. Brooke, Mike. "Labour facing 2nd Tower Hamlets opposition group now recognised by Electoral Commission as 'Aspire' party".
  4. "Local Elections - Thursday, 22nd May, 2014". Tower Hamlets Council. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  5. "Manifesto 2014" (PDF). Tower Hamlets First. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2014.
  6. "Fraud-Free Zone". Private Eye (1410). 22 January 2016. p. 18.
  7. "Disgraced ex-mayor 'trying to form party'". 3 February 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. "Disgraced former Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman given approval to form new political party - Eastlondonlines". 30 January 2018.
  9. "Mayor and Councillors". Tower Hamlets Council. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  10. http://www.bbwhoswho.co.uk/Profile/Ahmed,%20Cllr%20A%20M%20Ohid%20.pdf
  11. "Candidates discuss rural services". 15 April 2010 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  12. "Delegation of Tower Hamlets Councillors Visit Jenin!". 14 September 2013.
  13. Peace, Timothy (2013a). "All I'm asking, is for a little respect: Assessing the Performance of Britain's Most Successful Radical Left Party". Parliamentary Affairs. 66. pp. 405–424. doi:10.1093/pa/gsr064.
  14. Sam-Daliri, By Nadia. "Tory cllr for Millwall defects to join Rahman".
  15. http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/politics/tower-hamlets-ex-mayor-lutfur-rahman-endorses-aspire-candidate-ohid-ahmed-1-5464920
  16. Brooke, Mike. "Tower Hamlets mayor election rivals in tug-of-war as 'breach of protocol' row erupts".
  17. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2018-04-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47171919
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