Andy Erlam has announced he will stand to be the next Mayor of Tower Hamlets - telling voters it is a chance to 'change everything for the better ' The grandfather who won a High Court victory to kick out the crooked mayor‎ of Tower Hamlets yesterday announced he will stand as a 'Martin Bell'-style anti-corruption independent candidate in his place . Andy Erlam pledged to end years of 'Rotten Borough ' politics . Last week Mr Erlam led four ordinary voters who defied threats , financial ‎ruin and official apathy to have Lutfur Rahman unseated from office by an electoral court . Rahman - who police afraid of being branded 'racist ' failed to charge - was found guilty of rigging his election for mayor in May 2014 by a systematic campaign to steal votes . Yesterday Mr Erlam , 64 , a retired film maker , said : ‎ 'Since last week , many people have asked me to stand . ' I 've given it a lot of thought and have decided ‎to go for it . 'For many years , the people living here have suffered under a corrupt leadership . 'Unless someone stands up to it , there is a danger that Rahman 's cronyism and corruption will just continue in another form . ' Rahman was banned from office for five years but has many acolytes who are not prevented from standing . In putting his name forward for the election on June 11 , Mr Erlam is following in the footsteps of Martin Bell , the former war reporter who stood as an 'anti sleaze ' candidate and beat MP Neil Hamilton in Tatton in 1997 . ‎Rahman , branded a 'pathological liar ' and cheat who 'played the race card on every occasion ' by Electoral judge Richard Mawrey QC , diverted millions of pounds from groups like the Alzheimer 's Society to Muslim organisations , some with extremist links . Lutfur Rahman , pictured , had the Mayoral office stripped from his after an electoral court found him guilty of rigging his election . He was branded a 'pathological liar ' and a cheat happy to 'play the race card ' at every turn . Andy Erlam ( centre ) was one of four petitioners including Angela Moffat ( left ) and Azmal Hussein ( right ) who accused Rahman of electoral fraud . Their 'enormous courage ' for taking the case forward was praised . Tower Hamlets was so corrupt the government sent in independent commissioners to run it . Mr Erlam said : ‎'The entire local government machine needs to be transformed and with government Commissioners in place , it 's the chance in our lifetimes to change everything for the better . 'If elected I will shut down ( council-run newsletter ) East End Life , the Pravda of Rahman , end the `` cult of personality '' at the town hall and investigate and change every aspect of the council with the many good officers who I know have been frustrated and blocked for years . ' 'This is not the end , this is only the beginning . ' Mr Erlam has criticised the Met for 'not investigating election fraud properly , protecting Rahman and for its failure to , even now , launch a serious investigation at the town hall . ' He added : ‎ ' I am standing to give the voters of Tower Hamlets a choice . If elected , I will lead the transformation of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and nothing will stop me . The people will decide . ' ‎In court last week , the judge hailed the ‘ enormous courage ’ of Tower Hamlets residents Mr Erlam , 64 , Angela Moffat , 47 , Azmal Hussein , 63 , and Debbie Simone , 44 . He said they had faced a ‘ potentially devastating ’ legal bill if they had lost , adding : ‘ They knew Mr Rahman would deploy all his resources to defeat them and they would be portrayed as racists and Islamophobes . And so it proved . The Petitioners have been duly vilified - but they have hung in there . They have been vindicated . ’
Retired film maker Andy Erlam will stand to end 'corruption and cronyism ' 64-year-old was one of four petitioners who accused former mayor of fraud . Lutfur Rahman kicked out of office after judge branded him a liar and cheat .