Gloves off in the battle to be Newham's next mayor

5 hours ago

Susana MendonçaPolitical correspondent BBC London, Newham

Mickey's Boxing Gym is in the London Borough of Newham

BBC A man in a boxing gym wearing black boxing gloves and a grey hoodie takes aim at a punching bag as another man to the side claps in encouragement. — Mickey's Boxing Gym is in the London Borough of Newham

Newham has been under Labour control since it was created in 1965 and the party has won every election for the directly-elected mayor since the system was introduced in 2002.

But there have been some new contenders this year, with eight candidates standing in the mayoral election on 7 May.

The whole council will be elected at the same time.

Infighting within Labour ranks in Newham and discontent among some with the party nationally has seen Labour's dominance facing an unprecedented challenge.

What you need to know as Newham heads into local elections

What you need to know as Newham heads into mayor's election

Under the outgoing mayor's leadership, the borough was given the worst possible rating by the social housing regulator.

Labour's new candidate for elected mayor, Forhad Hussain, spoke to BBC London while out campaigning in West Ham.

"Things are not perfect and we've got to do better," he said.

"And that's why we've got new leadership under new Labour. And that's me.

"We are going to do things differently. We are going to put Newham residents first. We are going to localise the way we deliver our services.

"We've got a plan to improve the services and work with the regulator."

Forhad Hussain, left, the Labour candidate for mayor, and Mehmood Mirza, the Newham Independents Party candidate

A composite image of two men in suits in an outdoor setting looking into the camera. Both are candidates for mayor of Newham. — Forhad Hussain, left, the Labour candidate for mayor, and Mehmood Mirza, the Newham Independents Party candidate

The Newham Independents Party have won a hat-trick of by-elections since the 2022 elections.

They are promising to cut council tax in a borough that has to find millions in savings and say they have gained ground due to Labour's approach on immigration and the Middle East.

Mehmood Mirza, Newham Independents Party candidate, said that "people still remember what Keir Starmer has said", referring to his phrase "island of strangers" in a speech about immigration.

"People are upset with the Gaza issue and Keir Starmer's stance on Iran."

He added: "I think the main issue is that people are focusing and they feel they've been let down and they have been taken for granted for a long time."

Mickey Cunningham, left, and Shanice Allen shared their election priorities

A composite of two images of people at a gym. The woman on the left has a lip piercing and the man on the right has neck tattoos. Both are wearing gym gear. — Mickey Cunningham, left, and Shanice Allen shared their election priorities

At Mickey's Boxing Gym in Plaistow, local people talked to BBC London about what mattered to them.

Mickey Cunningham, a boxing coach who founded the gym, said: "I don't let my son out late these days because there's so much knife crime.

"Boxing is great for the youth.

"There should be more places, not just boxing, but affordable prices for the families because things are so expensive.

"How can they afford to pay for everything?"

Shaniece Allen, who trains at the gym, said: "I would actually like to see more support on mental health because a lot more people are struggling these days compared to how it used to be.

"But there's not enough support out there, in the community."

Areeq Chowdhury (left) is the Green Party candidate and Terri Bloore is the local Conservative candidate

A composite of two pictures of a man and a woman both formally dressed and wearing coloured rosettes, posing for a photo. — Areeq Chowdhury (left) is the Green Party candidate and Terri Bloore is the local Conservative candidate

The Green's mayoral candidate Areeq Chowdhury said his party can build on the success its had so far in Newham at Labour's expense.

"They didn't speak up strongly enough on Palestine," he said.

"They haven't spoken up strongly enough for workers.

"We have the highest level of homelessness in England with one in 18 people here being homeless, and we've got the title unfortunately of the litter capital of England.

"People I think are fed up of how Labour has run the council over the last 60 years and the Green Party are offering something different."

The Conservatives have not won a council seat in Newham in more than 30 years and came a distant second in the mayoralty last time, but their candidate,Terri Bloore, says they offer an alternative.

"We've been hitting the pavements, speaking to local businesses and residents and people want change," she said.

"People are sick to death of this council. People are saying that they've voted Labour all their life but they're not going to do it now."

There are four other candidates, from Reform UK, Communities United Party, Christian Peoples Alliance and the Liberal Democrats, standing for election for mayor of Newham in the election on 7 May.

Find out more about the election for mayor of Newham here.

The eight candidates for mayor of Newham are:

Terri Bloore - Local Conservatives

Areeq Chowdhury - Green Party

Clive Furness - Reform UK

Forhad Hussain - Labour Party

Kamran Malik - Communities United Party

Mehmood Mirza - Newham Independents Party

Bharath Swamy - Christian Peoples Alliance

Laura Claire Willoughby - Liberal Democrats.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk