An East Ham councillor has been selected to be a Labour candidate in next year’s London Assembly elections.

Cllr Unmesh Desai will stand in the City and East constituency, which covers the boroughs of Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Tower Hamlets and the City of London.

Cllr Desai, who is also the cabinet member for crime and anti-social behaviour, eventually won 53.3 per cent of the vote, defeating Barking and Dagenham’s Cllr Rocky Gill in the final stage.

The election process featured six candidates, with the person receiving the lowest percentage of votes eliminated and next preference votes transferred until one candidate passed the 50pc threshold.

The seat has been held by Labour’s John Biggs since its creation in 2000, but the Tower Hamlets mayor has chosen not to run for City Hall again.

The election is set to take place on May 5, 2015.