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Labour's John Biggs has become the directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets in a rerun election called after the previous mayor was booted out for corruption.
Labour’s John Biggs has been elected as mayor of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets after the previous incumbent was removed from office by the High Court.
There were cheers as it was announced the London Assembly member had taken the End End borough's top post, winning 32,754 votes on a second preference vote to take the job previously held by Lutfur Rahman.
The re-run saw the Mr Biggs, currently a London Assembly member, win 32,754 votes in the contest.
Mr Biggs was runner-up last year to Bangladesh-born Rahman, who was removed from office in a high-profile Election Court case in April for “corrupt and illegal practices” during a campaign marred by allegations of vote-rigging and voter intimidation.
His nearest rival was Rabina Khan, an independent candidate who served as cabinet member for housing under the previous mayor Lutfur Rahman.
There was a strong police presence at polling stations yesterday and the overnight count at the London ExCel conference centre.
She won 26,384 votes, having received the endorsement of the previous mayor during the contest.
Rabina Khan, a former member of Rahman's Tower Hamlets First party, who stood as an independent, came second with 26,763 votes, with Conservative Peter Golds third on 5,940. Turnout was 37.73%.
Mr Rahman’s administration was dogged by allegations that he favoured certain community groups using mayoral grants and exercised ‘undue spiritual influence’ on parts of the local population.
Mr Biggs, who was the target of a slur campaign that claimed he was a racist in last year's election, had been confident of victory throughout the evening, having earlier echoed football manager Brian Clough by telling reporters he believed he was in the “top one”.
Lutfur Rahman was cast from office six weeks ago after a report found him he had committed multiple electoral frauds (AFP/Getty) A High Court inquiry led to him being found guilty of “corrupt practices” and barred from office.
He paid tribute to the “by-and-large” positive campaigns of other candidates and said he would be a mayor for all the community.
The Mayor was a broadly popular figure in Tower Hamlets, however, having implemented a number of policies including the restoration of the Education Maintenance Allowance, bursaries for university students, and a social housing building programme.
He said: “What is important in Tower Hamlets is that we recognise the events of the past year or more have caused enormous tension and friction in our great borough and we need, under the new mayor, to pull things back together again.
Mr Biggs said he would be a mayor for the whole of Tower Hamlets and praised the “by-and-large” positive campaign of his opponents.
“Without dwelling too much on the past we should remind ourselves why we are in this position; there was bad behaviour. We need to overcome that, we need to move forwards, we need to recognise that Tower Hamlets is actually quite a magical place ... where people come with traditionally quite little and build their dreams.”
“What is important in Tower Hamlets is that we recognise the events of the past year or more have caused enormous tension and friction in our great borough and we need, under the new mayor, to pull things back together again,” he said.
In the end the count in the cavernous ExCel passed without incident.
"Without dwelling too much on the past we should remind ourselves why we are in this position; there was bad behaviour.
Mr Biggs won 27,255 votes in the first round of voting, with Mrs Khan taking 25,763 to join him in the second round. The vote used the single transferable vote system which means voters can nominate a second candidate to get their vote if their first choice is knocked out.
“We need to overcome that, we need to move forwards, we need to recognise that Tower Hamlets is actually quite a magical place ... where people come with traditionally quite little and build their dreams."
In the second round Mr Biggs gained an extra 5,499 votes to take his total to 32,754. Mrs Khan added 621 to end up with 26,763 votes.
There was a strong police presence at the election country, with Scotland Yard saying before the vote it was assessing 16 complaints of electoral malpractice this time around.
Earlier this week fresh allegations of malpractice emerged concerning this year's campaign. Problems with postal votes being assigned to empty flats, voter bribery and “dirty tricks” were among claims made by members of several parties.
The Conservative party came in a distant third place with 5,940 votes, followed by the Green Party on 2,678 votes. The Liberal Democrats won 2,152.
Scotland Yard said before the vote it was assessing 16 complaints of electoral malpractice this time around.
Lutfur Rahman was cast from office six weeks ago after a report found him he had committed multiple electoral frauds (AFP/Getty)
Last year's election was marred by allegations of vote tampering and intimidation at polling stations.
Rahman was barred from office for five years in April after Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey, sitting as an Election Court judge at the High Court, found him “personally” guilty of wrongdoing and “guilty by his agents”.
Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman leaving The High Court
Local campaigner Andy Erlam, who led the court action that brought down Rahman, stood for his own Red Flag - Anti-Corruption party and gained 1,768 votes.
Mrs Khan, who is a Tower Hamlets councillor and executive member for housing, said: “I have been proud to have been delivering a number of progressive left initiatives, they should really have been delivered many years back.
“All I want to say is that the last four weeks have shown that an individual can actually tackle a political apparatus and the fact that we didn't win on first preference, we did have to go to second preference, means that a woman can do this very much on her own as well.”
Also standing were John Foster (Green) with 2,678 votes, Elaine Bagshaw (Lib Dems) with 2,152, Nicholas McQueen (Ukip) with 1,669, Hafiz Abdul Kadir (independent) with 316, Vanessa Hudson (Animal Welfare Party) with 305, and Md Motiur Rahman Nanu (independent) with 292.
