Calls for Tower Hamlets Aspire councillor to stand down from key scrutiny role as they seek election in Bangladesh

Calls for Tower Hamlets Aspire councillor to stand down from key scrutiny role as they seek election in Bangladesh

A councillor allied to controversial Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman is being challenged to stand down from a key scrutiny position as she stands for election in Bangladesh.

Sabina Khan, a councillor for Mile End in Tower Hamlets, has been confirmed as a candidate in the upcoming Bangladesh general election standing for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the Galopgonj division.

Cllr Khan, a member of Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire Party, is seeking election to the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) in Bangladesh’s general election expected to take place later this year or in early 2026.

Despite this, she continues to receive a total annual allowance of £20,600 from Tower Hamlets Council. £11,898 for her role as a councillor, and an additional £8,702 in her newly appointed position as Scrutiny Lead for Resources.

Her promotion to the influential scrutiny role came at a recent council overview and scrutiny meeting, which she did not attend. Aspire councillors used their majority, which was secured due to the absence of a Green Party councillor, to vote her into the position.

Aspire is led by Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who returned to local politics in 2022 following a five-year ban from holding public office after being found guilty of corrupt and fraudulent practices by an Election Court in 2015.

The appointment has added to growing concerns about the quality of governance in Tower Hamlets.

A recent Best Value Inspection commissioned by the government found that governance at the council was “weak and confused,” with “insufficient challenge of the Executive.” The report noted that scrutiny culture within the council was “inadequate” and warned of a consistent tendency to prioritise the Mayor’s agenda over proper governance procedures and democratic checks and balances.

A spokesperson for the Labour Party said:

“The people of Tower Hamlets deserve better. They are paying her to campaign for office in a different country whilst she is meant to be undertaking a serious role in scrutinising how this council looks after its finances.”

ENDS