An attempted explanation as to why Apsana Begum MP lost her Labour reselection votes in every single ward in her constituency of Poplar & Limehouse

This analysis is from the anecdotal conversations with Labour members in Poplar and Limehouse, where I served as a councillor for four years, and from my personal experience of being the Secretary of Whitechapel Labour, part of which falls in the constituency of Poplar and Limehouse.

I am a Labour member and resident in Tower Hamlets, albeit in the neighbouring CLP of Bethnal Green and Bow.

A new kind of politics?

“When I’m in social situations, I always hold onto my glass. It makes me feel comfortable and secure, and I don’t have to shake hands.”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

On Wednesday morning, on the way to the Royal Court of Justice, I received an alert on my social media feed. It was official, Apsana Begum had managed something no other contemporary Labour MP had managed: to get deselected by every single ward in her constituency. For those who don’t know, a vote for deselection means a vote against the candidate. — it means a new process of open selections must take place for a new Labour candidate.

Below is a breakdown of the results:

Name of Labour Branch/Wards	Vote for reselection	Vote for open selection	Status
Lansbury & Poplar	43	43	Open selection
Mile End & Limehouse	61	68	Open selection
Bromley North	19	30	Open selection
Island Gardens	15	24	Open selection
Shadwell	31	44	Open selection
Whitechapel	6	12	Open selection
Wapping	10	27	Open selection
Blackwall & Cubitt Town	9	36	Open selection
Canary Wharf	7	23	Open selection
Bromley South	10	44	Open selection

Was there some kind of grand conspiracy to get rid of this radical socialist MP? Allegations have been flying, claiming the existence of a coalition of reactionary forces, from unidentified angry south Asian men to the office of the Labour leader, Kier Starmer. Or could it be something simpler?

Reflecting on my own experience as Secretary of a local Labour Party, my years as a Labour councillor, and speaking to members of Poplar and Limehouse, the evidence points towards the latter.

Witness a story of maladjusted characters, who demonstrate a refusal to abide by social conventions and norms – and now their incredulity comes back to bite them. No, I am not talking about Larry David in the series ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, but Apsana Begum’s shambolic office, aggravated by the clumsy campaign by supporters (The A-Team) to get her reselected.

In summary, the landslide defeat in the local membership can be attributed to an ideological blindness in not engaging with the fundamentals of elected office; a refusal to engage with local residents, members, and their cultural norms; and then blaming adverse reaction on others, rather than the self-inflicted ineptitude of office staff and supporters.

An Absent Office

“He wanted to stop and chat with me – and I don’t know him well enough for a stop and chat.”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

On paper, Poplar & Limehouse falls within the 3rd richest local authority area in England, with the financial centre of Canary Wharf based in the constituency. However, it has the highest child poverty rates in Western Europe. A statistic that exposes the high levels of inequality and the level of deprivation.

Data poverty (such as lack of access to Wi-Fi, or the internet), and access to public services are some key issues affecting the area. The recent campaign to stop the closure of the Council One-Stop Shop at Rushmead, Bethnal Green demonstrates the need and importance of physical access to services. In this context, that Apsana’s office has failed to open a physical constituency office speaks volumes about the lack of engagement with residents or understanding of their needs.

The need for a constituency office was identified early on, when I was contacted in 2020 by the then Chair of the Poplar and Limehouse Constituency Labour Party (CLP), Mike Davis, to identify possible sites for a constituency office. I believe I identified three sites for him and even arranged viewings, but due to a lack of engagement from members of Apsana’s office, the offers were not taken up.

The lack of engagement with residents is aggravated by the fact that the previous MP, Jim Fitzpatrick, was an excellent constituency MP. Jim teamed up with the office at Island Advice (a benefits advisory service) and also made a point of personally answering all email and phone queries within 24 hours. This comparison and contrast has led to wide-scale dissatisfaction amongst residents and local Labour members.

Misunderstanding, a Multi-Racial Working Class

“I tolerate lactose like I tolerate people.”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

Lack of understanding of a multiracial working-class community by Apsana’s office is another factor for alienation amongst residents and Labour members. All throughout Apsana’s tenure, there has been a feeling that office staff are rude or just inept in terms of dealing with residents.

Instead of understanding the nuances that exist amongst and between different demographics in East London, Apsana’s office seems to employ two extremely offensive approaches. On some occasions, issues are dismissed by the office with a ‘we will deal with racism after we win the class struggle comrade’ approach. On other occasions, we see the treatment of residents, in particular the Bangladeshi Muslim community, as essentialised homogenous voting fodder. The office appears more akin to a 19th-century Orientalist Victorian administrator of the British Raj than having a 21st-century intersectional approach to a multi-racial working class. 

To cite a good example into the inner working of Apsana’s office when it comes to intersectionality, I draw from a conversation I had with a former Labour councillor. Both he and I both campaigned for Apsana in 2019. When he raised concerns with her office about the lack of traction with the multi-racial working class Labour membership, they immediately attacked him, absolving themselves of any responsibility. They argued that the wholescale rejection by the Labour membership is for the following – all of these, by the way, are from a white middle-class demographic, and all resort to Islamophobic tropes:

1. They are all Lutfur Rahmans

Somehow, all the non-white Labour members who are voting for an open selection are members of the Aspire party. There is no evidence provided, apart from the election result, showing support for an open selection. One of the people who made this accusation took it upon himself to go round and take pictures of Bangladeshi Muslim members waiting to go into the meeting in Shadwell, supposedly to send the pictures off to the Labour Party as part of a wider complaint that the voting process is somehow unfair.

2. Backward Muslims

The other argument put forward by another member of the office is that somehow, Bangladeshi Muslim members just don’t understand the role of an MP and that their expectation to do basic casework was too high an expectation.

3. Bangladeshi Muslims don’t understand class

A hybrid of the above is that the Bangladeshi Muslim membership is failing to grasp the class base politics of the office. Somehow if they understood, or gained class consciousness, they will be coming out in droves to support Apsana.

“Are you my Caucasian?”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

Use and Misuse of Faith

Larry: “WE WANT YOU TO HAVE LOBSTER!”

Cheryl David: Lobster and religion, I really don’t see the similarities.

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

One of the more bizarre episodes in the Trigger Ballot saga is when I started receiving calls from members in Whitechapel. They were informed that if they don’t vote for the reselection of Apsana they would go to hell.

It transpires that this message, from what appears to be with the approval of Apsana’s office in Bangla, was sent to members. It basically states that Apsana wears a headscarf and prays dawn (fajr) congregational prayers and that if people don’t vote for her reselection, they will face eternal damnation in hellfire.

Below is the message in Bangla, for the sake of transparency, allowing all interested to use Google Translate to see for themselves:

আপসানা এমপি বাঙ্গালী জাতির গর্ব সে মুসলমানের গর্ব।তাহাকে সমর্থন করে আপনি আপনার ঈমানী দায়িত্ব পালন করবেন বলে আশা করি।একটা কথা মনে রাখবেন আপনার ভোটে নির্বাচিত জনপ্রতিনিধী তিনি যদি ইসলাম বিরুধী কোন বিলে ভোট দেন কিয়ামতের দিন সে ভোট আপনার আমল নামাত গন্য হবে।তিনে যদি কোন খারাপ জিনিস সমর্থন করেন তাহাও আপনার আমল নামায় গন্য হবে।তাই লাইম হাউস এলাকার মুসলমানরা আপনারা ভাগ্যবান আপসানার মত একজন ধর্মীক এমপি পেয়েছে।

আমরা যাহারা তাঁহার এলাকার বাহিরে আমাদের সকলের মুসলমান হিসাবে দায়িত্ব তাকে সমর্থন করা না হলে কিয়ামতের দিন এর জবাব দিতে হবে।তাই ফজরের নামাজ জামাতে পড়ে আপনাদের কাছে আকুল আবেদন আপসানাক সমর্থন করে আপনার ঈমানী দায়িত্ব পালন করে। “হে আল্লাহ আমাদের মেয়ে আমাদের আশার প্রদীপ আপসানাকে আপনি কবুল করেন, তাকে বারবার নির্বাচিত করে এলাকায় ইসলামকে প্রসারিত করেন, আমীন।”

To give a definitive answer to members as to whether the result of the Whitechapel Trigger Ballot could hinder their chances for salvation in the hereafter, I forwarded the atext to a local theologian for a definitive answer. 

He is one of the foremost theologians in East London, a Mufti [a common-law equivalent of a QC], a practitioner of Islamic Finance, and a student of a former Supreme Court judge of Pakistan. He stated that the message goes against the tenants of the faith, as no one individual should monopolise the faith for personal political gain. He advised clearly that the correct theological position is that no politician should abuse faith for personal political gain.

I gave his summary reply back to members, stating there is no divine reckoning should they vote for open selection.

The above message, in Bangla, was not well received by the mainly Muslim Bangladeshi membership, who saw it as a misuse of faith and an attempt to blackmail them. Subsequently, it pushed those members who were sitting on the fence to vote for open selection. Again, a total misunderstanding of the Muslim faith, and faith in general, by Apsana’s office has backfired.

A Shambolic Campaign: An Enemy within?

“You know who wears sunglasses inside? Blind people and assholes.”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

The other bizarre behaviour from Apsana’s office is the lack of engagement with the local Labour Party. Speaking to Labour Party members of Apsana, they are constantly bombarded with messages from Apsana’s office that somehow the local Labour Party is the enemy. A picture is painted in these messages that all the Councillors and party officials in the constituency are working against Apsana and are not to be trusted.

This message does not correspond with reality. For example, Councillor James King of Limehouse printed a bespoke out card with Apsana’s picture and details. It also goes against the fact that Apsana, at one time or another, has worked with nearly a third of the Labour Councillors in her constituency since she became an MP.

A concocted reality of the local Labour Party as the enemy. Perhaps this explains the lack of engagement with local Labour Party officials by Apsana’s office during this Trigger Ballot campaign, contributing to the landslide deselection by every single ward in the constituency.

What next? A sinking Titanic?

 “I’m not a person who embraces challenges. I run from challenges. I break world records running from challenges.”

Larry David – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’

Regardless of what the Labour Party decides on whether to uphold the ballot and allow an open selection, or uphold the complaints organised by Apsana’s Office (namely that the deselection by members is an extension of a campaign of harassment orchestrated by her ex-husband), one thing is clear: there is a complete breakdown between Labour Party members/residents and a dysfunctional office. Without addressing these issues, Apsana would be an MP just on paper, with no legitimacy, leading to further instability in local Labour politics.

I myself have washed all hands of Apsana’s office and have adopted a position of non-cooperation. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the physical attack on me and others, in an attempt to influence the vote in Whitechapel. I received strong circumstantial and hearsay evidence to indicate it was orchestrated by members of Apsana’s office and thus left with little choice. Unless Apsana brings in competent people who have a proven track record in dealing with multi-racial demographics and publicly distances herself from those currently working in her office, I will be exhorting others, including ‘strategic local stakeholders’, to do the same.

Through a campaign of non-cooperation, Gandhi forced the then mightiest Empire in the world to pack up their bags and leave. In the scale of things, deranged, privileged, violent, wannabe revolutionaries are nothing but small change. This is a moral obligation when you have individuals and a public institution incapable of serving the needs of a marginalised, multi-racial working class of the East End.

“Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.”

Gandhi