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Newly elected Green Party councillors in Newham have been criticised after delivering their post-election speech in Bengali. It comes after the party made major gains in the 2026 local elections, winning 16 council seats and taking 14 from Labour.

Videos shared online from election celebrations in east London show some supporters alongside the Newham mayoral candidate, Areeq Chowdhury, opening their remarks with the greeting "As-salamu alaykum," Arabic for "peace be upon you", before continuing the speech in Bengali to supporters. The Green Party celebrated the result online, posting on its social media: "Huge result in Newham. Congratulations to Newham Greens on electing 16 Green councillors, gaining 14 from Labour."

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Speaking on GB News, Green Party member John Grant admitted he felt a "little uncomfortable" after seeing the video.

GB News host Charlie Peters asked after showing the video: "Is that listening to the people or is that engaging in foreign or sectarian politics, making an announcement in a foreign language?"

The Green Party member responded: "I didn't understand a word of what he said. To me, it seems like a poor way of communicating in the UK, where English is our language... I think that's fair to say.

"It does make me a little uncomfortable. I can't deny that... It's not ideal, that's for sure."

He added: "There are a lot of people with a second language, but for that to be first delivered in a second language seems odd."

The London Borough of Newham is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK, hosting the second-largest British-Bangladeshi population in the country after neighbouring Tower Hamlets.

There is no legal requirement for councillors to speak English during campaign events, celebrations or political speeches, but the footage prompted debate online about language, representation and integration in British public life.

Critics have argued that political speeches delivered largely in languages other than English can appear exclusionary in civic settings, while supporters said candidates were naturally addressing the local communities that elected them.

In the party's 2026 Newham manifesto, Green mayoral candidate Areeq Chowdhury said the borough was suffering from rising homelessness, high levels of deprivation and poor basic services, writing that "our bins are overflowing" despite Newham being located in "one of the great global capitals of the world."

The manifesto pledged reforms focused on housing, cleaner streets, council transparency and community investment in order to build "A Newham We Can Be Proud Of."

Forhad Hussain (Labour) was elected as the new Mayor of Newham, succeeding Rokhsana Fiaz. Going into the election, Labour was the governing party, holding 56 of 66 seats.

Following the vote, the council composition shifted significantly, with Labour reduced to 26 seats, Independents holding 24, and the Green Party securing 16.