Neither Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats or the Greens hold this council. It is in fact a party called Aspire, which has linked itself to Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s Your Party. Tower Hamlets Council, the authority which oversees an area that was trolled by an MP as a London ‘no go’ zone yet includes the major financial district Canary Wharf, will make for one of the most compelling election results in London – and possibly the country – on May 7.

In 2022, Aspire’s Lutfur Rahman made a huge return to politics and got 54.9 per cent of the vote in a final round between the Bangladesh-born leader and a Labour candidate. It had won a majority but has since lost it after councillors resigned from the party. Rahman has become a controversial figure in Tower Hamlets over his political career spanning three decades.

He was barred from standing for office at one point and he was investigated for funding from Islamist groups, electoral fraud and “toxic” governance. He has shaken off accusations. He was once found guilty of electoral fraud but did not face criminal prosecution.

Rahman is standing for mayor again, believing in his popularity in the area, which is 44 per cent Asian, despite renewed threats last month of an intervention from Labour minister Steve Reed. A government report last year raised “serious concerns” over the council’s “suspicious” leadership and a “lack of respect and co-operation between political parties”. Two councillors, one of whom was a member of Aspire, came into the national limelight when it was revealed that they were standing as parliamentary candidates in Bangladesh.

Reed said he was “appalled” that local politicians were looking to campaign in another country and said it was disappointing. Tower Hamlets’ exception Labour may yet struggle to dethrone Aspire despite national pressure though the Greens have been open about their ambition to win votes across Tower Hamlets, an area that has also seen the likes of leftist politician George Galloway win parliamentary seats. The local party has accused Aspire of being a “one-man band” and pushed to win over voters working in the ‘gig economy’ – Deliveroo or Uber drivers – as well as young people.m Its manifesto includes calls to block new data centres, pilot a four-day working week for the local authority and create “safety net services” that vow to “support residents regardless of immigration status, ensuring information is not shared with immigration enforcement agencies”.

The party also supports the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), which restricts traffic in order to support cycling. LTNs was a particularly salient issue before the 2022 election, with Rahman saying it was one of the top priorities to take them down once he came into office. He was defeated in the Court of Appeal earlier this year over the proposed removal of three LTNs in the area.

In other circumstances, Rahman may have fallen to pressure given interventions and intense scrutiny over his running of the council. But a lack of support for Labour and hesitancy over the Greens’ agenda, the vote could be a nail-biter that further entrenches Tower Hamlets’ split from the rest of the city. City AM is previewing local election votes taking place in every London borough. Click here for a full overview of May 7.