THAT COUNCIL (AGAIN)

Quite possibly the dodgiest council in Britain is in the spotlight again.  Tower Hamlets (collective sigh) has only just concluded one investigation into corruption, now it is launching another.  Last week the so-called 'Clear Up Project' set up to investigate claims against the previous administration was closed with 'no evidence' of fraud uncovered (a City of London police inquiry is still ongoing).  Now there is an investigation into allegations of housing fraud, with an early casualty in the shape of Cllr Mohammad Harun.

Cllr Harun, who is also a solicitor, quit his post shortly after the investigation was announced.  He also deleted his Twitter account.  The mayor, John Biggs, confirmed that the allegations directly involved Harun, but the Tories claimed other sitting councillors were also implicated.  One of Harun's predecessors - Cllr Shahed Ali - was jailed for housing fraud in 2015.

Labour's Mohammad Harun

Tower Hamlets, a London borough where Bangladeshis are the largest ethnic group, has a history of corruption.  The former mayor - Lutfur Rahman - was found guilty of electoral fraud in 2015.  The current make up of the council is 40 Labour (one member currently suspended for alleged anti-Semitism), 2 Conservative, 1 Lib Dem and now one vacant, thanks to the outgoing Harun.