Corbynista Councillor Sakina Sheikh had the tricky job of defending Labour’s double standards over the expulsion of Alastair Campbell on All Out Politics this morning. When challenged by Andrew Cooper about Labour grandees like Charles Clarke, Bob Ainsworth, Anji Hunter, and Lance Price who all publicly said they also did not vote for the Labour Party, but are yet to face expulsion, she doubled down:

“They will be [expelled]… If they have said publicly that they have supported another candidate of another party in the elections, the rulebook is black and white so I have no doubt that that will be the next steps.”

Over to you, Labour Compliance Office…

Three of the Labour candidates on the Lewisham East shortlist promoted a radical imam who the High Court ruled “clearly promoted and encouraged violence in support of Islam and espoused a series of extremist Islamic positions”. 

Shakeel Begg is the imam at Lewisham Islamic Centre. In 2016 he lost a libel action against the BBC after a judge ruled he had promoted violence. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said “he has shed the cloak of respectability and revealed the horns of extremism”. The court heard that in 2006, Begg gave a speech urging his followers to travel to Palestine to “fight the Zionists”. In 2008, Begg praised Muslims who had travelled abroad to fight enemies of Islam. Two further speeches were found to have contained extremist content. The judge ruled:

“The various core extremist messages which emerge from the claimant’s speeches and utterances would, in my view, have been quite clear to the audiences. The claimant’s ostensible cloak of respectability is likely to have made his [extremist] message in these speeches all the more compelling and seductive. For this reason, therefore, his messages would have been all the more effective and dangerous. It is all too easy for someone in the claimant’s position of power and influence as an Imam to plant the seed of Islamic extremism in a young mind, which is then liable to be propagated on the internet.”

Lewisham Islamic Centre is one of the most controversial mosques in Britain. In 2013, it was revealed that Lee Rigby’s killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale had links to the mosque. A Whitehall source told the papers: “It does attract a radical crowd and radical speakers and has its fair share of converts. From that perspective it is significant. Adebolajo and Adebowale did go there, and anywhere that attracts extremists is of interest”.

Despite these extremist links, Labour’s candidates in Lewisham East have repeatedly promoted Shakeel Begg and the Lewisham Islamic Centre.

Two weeks ago, Sakina Sheikh, the Momentum-backed candidate, was filmed sharing a platform with Begg at the Lewisham Islamic Centre. During her recent council campaign, Lewisham Islamic Centre produced a leaflet urging local Muslims to vote for Sheikh. It said: “We pray that Allah (God) Almighty blesses… Ms Sakina Sheikh”.

In February, Janet Daby, also a Lewisham East candidate, took part in a panel discussion with Begg at Lewisham Islamic Centre.

In October last year, Brenda Dacres, another Lewisham East candidate, promoted a lecture given by Begg at Lewisham Islamic Centre. In August last year, Dacres joined Begg at a Unite Against Fascism rally.

Begg is clearly a player in Lewisham, he was certainly seen as important by Labour politicians seeking votes on their council campaigns, so much so that one candidate even publicly appeared with him the night before this month’s local elections. He is also someone who the High Court says is a dangerous extremist. At the height of Labour’s anti-Semitism scandal, it is unfortunate that three of Labour’s candidates in Lewisham East have promoted someone who told his followers to travel to Palestine to “fight the Zionists”…

You can bet there will be an almighty bunfight for the selection for the ultra-safe Labour seat of Lewisham East. As ever, Guido brings you your runners and riders:

• Sakina Sheikh: The Corbynista candidate. Last week she was filmed sharing a platform with Shakeel Begg, the imam at Lewisham Islamic Centre who was ruled by the High Court in 2016 to “clearly promote and encourage violence in support of Islam and espouse a series of extremist Islamic positions”. In 2006 Begg reportedly told his followers to travel to Palestine to “fight the Zionists”. Sheikh’s candidacy at the local elections was endorsed by Begg’s Lewisham Islamic Centre, which has been linked to the killers of Lee Rigby. Sheikh has also appeared on Russia Today and written several articles for the communist Morning Star newspaper. Can see why the Corbynistas like her… 
• Claudia Webbe: Former Ken Livingstone adviser who wrote a letter defending Ken when he compared a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard. Relative of Simon Webbe from Blue.
• Nadine Houghton: GMB organiser. Red Roar reports she is “a former member of The Socialist Party (previously, Militant) who once wrote in an Alliance of Workers’ Liberty (AWL) pamphlet on Labour”. Sounds fun.
• Kevin Bonavia: The moderate choice. Lewisham Cabinet member. Solicitor.
• Aaron Bastani: Formerly chair of the neighbouring Lewisham West CLP, Bastani is local but has bottled standing. Shame, Chris Williamson could do with some company in Westminster.
• Jon Lansman: Lives down the road in a million pound apartment at Shad Thames, overlooked by the Corbynistas for the Labour General Secretary gig, has previously been tipped for a tilt at parliament before. Too male, pale and stale?
• Tom Copley: He’s a Labour London Assembly member, lives in Lewisham, and is the newly elected councillor for Sydenham. LGBT activist, formerly Ken Livingstone’s campaign manager. Told friends he’s tempted but thinks it will be an all women shortlist.

The winner will be defending a cushy 21,000 majority…