Faiza Shaheen, who was blocked from representing the Labour Party in the general election, has announced she will stand as an independent.
Ms Shaheen, who initially won the Labour nomination for Chingford and Woodford Green, said she had decided to run as an independent after voters told her they felt “disenfranchised” by the party’s decision to remove her as a candidate.
Labour removed Ms Shaheen as its candidate for the London constituency after she allegedly liked a series of social media posts that downplayed antisemitism accusations.
Yesterday she announced she had resigned from Labour, whom she accused of embodying a “hierarchy of racism”.
She said she was weighing up whether to stand as an independent in Chingford, and on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed that decision.
She wrote on X: “I have reached this decision following hundreds of messages from people in my community, who say there are no options left for them.
“They are tired of the Tories but now feel they can’t trust Labour.
She added: “They feel disenfranchised by Labour’s decision to remove me and I feel it would be impossible for the party to win here without a local candidate, rooted in the community, and that such a voice is vitally needed.
“I am standing here to win, to beat the Conservatives, to finish what we started.”
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