Under the threat of being taken to court, the Party agreed to re-run the trigger ballot. In 2018 Wales was de-selected by the Newham Labour Party to be their candidate in the mayoral election, losing to Custom House councillor Rokhsana Fiaz by 861 votes to Wales’ 503. Politics and beliefs Wales and other east London leaders, as well as the Mayor of London, have claimed to be working towards achieving convergence, meaning the improvement of the social and economic chances of people in the East End, raising them to the London average. This requires increasing employment, improving health and reducing poverty. Wales has said he is committed to helping residents benefit from economic development in Newham, particularly in terms of employment and skills. He names the Westfield Stratford City development as fundamental for securing the future prosperity of the area. He is often cited as believing the Olympics forms only one part of the transformation of Newham and the wider East End. Other key developments include regeneration in Canning Town and Custom House and in the Royal Docks and Silvertown Quays. Wales believes that local employment opportunities are a critical success factor of regeneration projects. He has named Canary Wharf and the Olympic Delivery Authority's construction of the Olympic Park as two examples where local people have benefitted less than hoped from the job opportunities created. Controversies Wales was involved in a bitter battle with the Friends of Queen's Market, which represented the market traders at Queen's Market. The traders and residents were objecting to plans to demolish the market and replace it with a new market-hall with 164 stalls and 6,374 sq metres of shop units, 350 homes, a civic building and a library. In 2009, Mayor of London Boris Johnson over-ruled Wales' decision to build the 31-storey tower. Wales attracted controversy in 2010 by being awarded a 4% pay rise, taking his salary to £80,029, at a time when the government called for public-sector wage restraints and job losses and pay freezes at Newham council. Wales stated that he would be giving his pay rise to charity, however, his pay has increased 40% from £58,500 since 2002. Newham Council defended this pay increase stating that it reflected the responsibilities of his position. It has been reported that Wales refused to work alongside the former mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, who was later removed from office for breaching