A slight pause in the rise and rise of Rishi Madlani

AS the seasons pass, top shirt button-hater Rishi Madlani has emerged a lively old soul within Camden’s Labour Party. He used to be seen buzzing around in the background on by-election campaigns but now has his feet firmly under the table as a Bloomsbury councillor in his own right. One of the young ‘uns, an exciting future lies ahead for a man equipped with winning side energy and master networking skills.

But the rise and rise of Rishi Rich (as some opposing party people call him, on the grounds of his banking career at the Royal Bank Of Scotland) flattened out slightly on Tuesday night, when he was overlooked by the local party for a governor role at University College Hospital, a position so sadly made vacant by Peter Brayshaw’s sudden death.

Cllr Madlani, who can be seen right behind Sir Keir Starmer waving a Labour placard in the pictures taken at the Holborn and St Pancras selection contest last month, was halted in his tracks after on the first round of voting. The early exit was a surprise to some members who thought his stock ran high that the vote would naturally be closer. Rishi insists he is relaxed about it all, and was impressed by the field who wanted the role. No story here thought of thing.

Another one-to-watch Danny Beales was later chosen for the position, ahead of Nadia Shah in second place.