HACKNEY’s mayoral hopefuls faced no questions about the two scandals engulfing the local party at their hustings today, sources said.

Neither MP Diane Abbott’s widely publicised claims that Labour HQ was “crushing local democracy” nor safeguarding concerns over the paedophile Tom Dewey being elected as councillor were put to the candidates Mete Coban and Caroline Woodley.

Nor were local members’ safeguarding concerns relating to the Dewey scandal that led to the former mayor Philip Glanville’s resignation last Friday.

The Morning Star recently exposed that the mayor had lied about having no contact with Mr Dewey after learning of his flatmate’s arrest for indecent child images.

The online hustings today were said to be “very tightly controlled by Labour regional officials.”

Candidates gave opening remarks before answering vetted questions before Hackney South and Hackney North and Stoke Newington Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs).

The meetings were attended respectively by 240 and 320 people – three to four times the normal attendance for a general meeting, according to our sources.

Chaired by London regional Labour Party executive and Unison national official Maggi Ferncombe, Mr Coban and Ms Woodley are understood to have been asked about housing, climate resilience, primary school closures, child poverty, financial challenges and building a campaigning Labour Party.

Our source said that both candidates expressed support for a public inquiry into who knew what and when following Tom Dewey’s arrest for indecent child images last May.

He was elected councillor a week later and resigned for what the council leadership maintained were “personal reasons” shortly after.

The rising member of the party’s right and Meg Hellier MP’s former election agent received a 12-month suspended sentence and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

The election result is expected at 5pm today. Labour has been contacted for comment.