Independents have beaten Labour in an east London council by-election amid continuing grassroots anger at the Government.
Noor Jahan Begum won the Redbridge council seat vacated by the borough’s former leader, Jas Athwal, who was elected a Labour MP last year.
Months after his election Mr Athwal, the now MP for Ilford South, faced heavy criticism over the state of his rental homes after tenants complained they lived with black mould and ant infestations.
Ms Begum beat Labour’s Saleem Mazhar with 1,080 votes to 663. The Conservatives came third with 494 votes. Turnout was 24.65%.
Labour had called on senior politicians, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting -the MP for neighbouring Ilford North - and former minister Anneliese Dodds to campaign in the ward.
The party has seen a rising threat from independent candidates in east London.
Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire retook control of Tower Hamlets council at the last local elections in 2022, while Newham Independents have become the opposition on Newham council after local by-election wins and a defection in the wake of anger at Labour’s response to the war in Gaza.
At the general election in July, Mr Streeting held on to his Ilford seat by just 528 votes after being challenged by independent Leanne Mohamad.
It was a pleasure to be out reminding residents to vote for the brilliant Mazhar Saleem as the @UKLabour candidate for the Mayfield by-election today.
— Anneliese Dodds (@AnnelieseDodds) March 27, 2025
We found lots of blossom 🌸, beautiful sunshine ☀️ and a warm reception on the #LabourDoorstep 🌹 pic.twitter.com/3VR8kRHLxh
Following her win, Ms Begum thanked volunteers who had come to Redbridge to campaign from “as far away as Birmingham and Hertfordshire”, adding: “The independents have had a historic win. The people of Mayfield have spoken loud and clear.
“They have chosen a new kind of politics...we are a grassroots movement that is of integrity, inclusion and independents.”
Chair of Redbridge and Ilford Independents Vaseem Ahmed said: “Ordinary working people rejected a party that no longer represents them.
“Labour's contempt for ordinary people was exemplified by their inaction towards former ward councillor and Ilford South MP, Jas Athwal, who as leader of Redbridge Labour Council, failed to licence his many rental flats, whilst enacting rules that forced everyone else to do so.”
He added: “Together, we defeated the politics that think it can with total impunity, attack our NHS, cut benefits to the poorest in society, including the disabled and old-age pensioners.”,
A Labour source said: “It was always going to be difficult, especially after the news about Jas [Athwal’s] rental properties which the independents really seized on.
“There have been some unpopular policies by the Government, cutting benefits and winter fuel allowance etc, that were in the front people’s minds. But local by-elections are always hard for lots of reasons and we’re confident about the full local elections next year.”
