Yet again Electoral Fraud in Labour Constituencies

Not long ago, it happened in Tower Hamlets where instances of electoral fraud and voter intimidation were investigated, leading to the removal from his post of the then Mayor Lutfur Rahman who was found guilty of corrupt and illegal practices by an Election Court in 2015. 

Lutfur Rahman

 

It was found that votes for rival parties had been intentionally lost at the count and Mr Rahman was removed from office and banned from standing for election for five years. 

But in spite of very serious issues that proved that the election was rigged, in the following election no proof of identification was introduced. Irregularities also included ballot tampering and postal vote fraud.

Now, yet another scandal has shaken the Labour Party that led to the suspension of East Ham and West Ham constituency parties represented by Stephen Timms and Lyn Brown. 

Stephen Timms

Lyn Brown

Troubled years for the Labour Party that indicated that until further notice no party meetings or business can take place, but Labour Party authorities refused to divulge the nature of the investigation. The allegations of electoral malpractice are said to be wide ranging and supported by a considerable amount of evidence. 

In places like Newham, support for the Labour Party has been massive with practically all seats being occupied by Labour Party Councillors. The borough also has a Labour Party Mayor. How confident can we be that in the coming London Assembly elections voting will be legal? Three separate scandals in constituencies controlled by the Labour Party.

In a few days time, the House of Commons will consider a bill demanding electoral proof of identification for voters. I reckon that such piece of legislation is long overdue to tackle manipulatioon and fraud in elections. 

After the anti-Semitism scandal, the Islamophobia scandal, and several other scandals involving misconduct including sexual misconduct, racism, misuse of public monies, false statements of parliamentary expenses and political intimidation and bribes leading to the arrest of the Labour Mayor in Liverpool, the Labour Party should grasp the opportunity of supporting a piece of legislation aimed at ensuring that voting is legal and that those voting are legally entitled to vote.

It was pretty extraordinary to see a Labour Party MP walking inside the Houses of Parliament wearing a Police electronic tag attached to one of her legs because she lied and falsely accused an innocent person who was overseas of an offense that she herself committed. 

With all that has happened in recent years, the Labour Party can hardly claim that it occupies the high moral ground. 

Changing a leader is easy, but getting of a bad reputation based on corruption, undemocratic practices and examples of incompetence publicly displayed by members of the Labour Party Shadow Cabinet is not going to be easy.