I’ve been indicating for a while that Respect in Tower Hamlets is less than stable. Here a report from the East London Advertiser on another councillor’s departure. I confidently predict that we’ll be told in some detail how evil and useless he was by a Respect fulltimer using skills acquired elsewhere.

A MEMBER of MP George Galloway‘s Respect party has quit his seat on Tower Hamlets council… with a savage attack on his “bickering, immature and self-serving” former colleagues.

Disenchanted Shamim Chowdhury resigned as a councillor in the Shadwell ward on Friday (June 29).

His decision stunned party colleagues who only learned of the move when contacted by the East London Advertiser.

Opposition Tories on the council were quick to pounce and called for a by-election at Shadwell, which is likely to be August 9 or 16.

Shamim, elected just 14 months ago, cited ‘personal reasons’ in his resignation letter to the Town Hall.

But he later contacted the Advertiser to fire a scathing broadside on his ex-comrades.

“The Respect leadership has failed to capitalise on Labour’s failure and are busy serving themselves,” he said.

“It was formed mostly by militants kicked out of the Labour party in the various phases of its reform agenda.

“It is those militant extreme Left groups now controlling the Respect coalition.”

The party had no vision to improve the lives of East End families, he insists, no ability to solve the housing crisis and no policy for youth.

“The leadership has taken a course to oppose all that is proposed by others without giving a thought to the merits,” he added.

“This mindless opposition is damaging to the prosperity of our community.

“The leadership is immature, inexperienced and has a militant tendency in its attitude.

“Internal bickering is ongoing, displaying little respect to party colleagues.

“A party that cannot unite in policy and struggles to keep its house in order has little prospect of leading the council at any time.”

His departure follows Wais Islam, who earlier this year defected to Labour but remains a councillor.

Shamim was one of the trio who defeated Labour’s former council leader Michael Keith and his deputy Abdus Shukur at the May local elections last year.

All eyes are on ‘big beast’ Keith. But all he would say was: “I’m not sure whether I’ll run or not.”