Faiza Shaheen has announced she will stand as an independent candidate for the seat of Chingford & Woodford Green after quitting the Labour Party.
Ms Shaheen accused Sir Keir Starmer’s party of systematic Islamophobia and bullying after not being selected to fight for the seat which is currently held by Conservative Iain Duncan Smith.
She was dropped as a Labour candidate after liking a series of posts on social media platform X that allegedly downplayed antisemitism allegations. Shortly afterwards Ms Shaheen announced she had resigned from the Labour Party, saying her removal as a candidate had been “cruel and devastating”.
In a statement on Wednesday posted on X Ms Shaheen explained that she had received hundreds of messages from “people in my community, who say there are no options left for them”.
She said: “They are tired of the Tories but now feel they can’t trust Labour.
“They feel disenfranchised by Labour’s decision to remove me and 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 Iain Duncan Smith and the Conservatives, to finish what we started.
“I am standing to give a voice to my community – the community that made me and has put their faith in me.”
I am standing as an independent candidate for Chingford & Woodford Green at the General Election on 4 July.
— Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) June 5, 2024
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Ms Shaheen described how she loved her community adding that “it is a special place and deserves to be represented by someone who understands its needs and what it values”.
The politician was born in Whipps Cross Hospital and explained that she went to school in Chingford before getting her first job at Greggs bakery at Chingford Mount.
She added that the area “deserves an MP that listens to its problems and works their hardest to find solutions”.
Ms Shaheen continued: “An MP that understands people’s struggles to make ends meet amid the rising cost of living. An MP that fights for our underfunded local services, for investment in the NHS, supports our local businesses and is a champion for our town centres.
“An MP that speaks out against permitting overdevelopment without the infrastructure to support it. That cares for our environment, campaigns for clean air, and against sewage dumps in our rivers.”
Ms Shaheen also personally attacked Iain Duncan Smith describing him as a “a mansion-dwelling Conservative MP, far removed from the reality of ordinary people’s lives”.
The now-independent candidate explained her campaign will be powered by volunteers from the community. She continued: “With its recent actions, many local people think Labour has handed a winnable seat to the Conservatives for another five years. I aim to show that there is a progressive alternative to both parties that puts Chingford & Woodford Green first.”
Ms Shaheen had earlier said she had been “penalised for describing my experiences of Islamophobia” and claimed there was a “hierarchy of racism” in the Labour Party, adding she had “been prevented from speaking out” on issues including Palestine.
