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Hirra Khan Adeogun joins the contest to succeed Nathalie Bienfait, entering a field dominated by established local figures and a large British Bangladeshi voting bloc.
The Green Party has officially named Hirra Khan Adeogun as its candidate for the Tower Hamlets mayoral election this May. Adeogun, a climate campaigner born in Lahore, Pakistan, was selected by party members to replace Councillor Nathalie Bienfait, who was forced to withdraw from the race earlier this month. The transition comes after Bienfait was disqualified under residency rules following a rent increase that forced her to move out of the borough.
A Newcomer Facing Established Local Giants
Adeogun enters the race as a relatively unknown figure within the Tower Hamlets grassroots community compared to the leading contenders. While she has lived in the borough for a decade and works as the Co-Director of the climate charity Possible, she lacks the deep-seated local political machinery and name recognition of the current frontrunners. She is currently also standing as a councillor candidate in Bromley North, a dual-candidacy that would require her to vacate one seat should she win both.
The British Bangladeshi Political Stronghold
The election remains centered on the borough's powerful British Bangladeshi community, which makes up 34.6% of the population (approximately 107,000 residents). The race already features two heavyweights from this community:
Lutfur Rahman: The incumbent Mayor and leader of the Aspire Party, who holds a significant majority on the council.
Sirajul Islam: The Labour Party candidate and leader of the Tower Hamlets Labour Group, who has served as a local councillor for over two decades.
In contrast, the British Pakistani community, which Adeogun represents by heritage, accounts for just 1.1% of the borough (roughly 3,500 residents). Historically, Tower Hamlets mayoral contests have been a duel between the Labour Party and local independent or Aspire movements, with mainstream parties like the Greens struggling to make significant inroads into these established voting blocs.
Policy Friction and the Road to May
Adeogun’s professional background is rooted in radical urban environmentalism. She has previously advocated for making "private cars obsolete" in cities and has supported "smart-pricing" road measures to charge drivers based on distance and time. These positions may face scrutiny in a borough where transport policy—particularly the removal of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) by the current Mayor—has become a flashpoint for local debate.
As the campaign enters its final months, the Green Party's challenge will be to introduce their new candidate to an electorate that has traditionally favored candidates with decades of visible service within the borough’s largest ethnic and religious institutions.
