Defection watch: Bradford Labour councillor joins the Conservatives

Bradford City ward councillor Munir Ahmed (pictured) has resigned from the Labour Party to join the Conservatives. He will now take the Conservative Whip and sit as a member of the  Conservative Group in City Hall.

Cllr Ahmed commented:

"Over the past few months, I have become increasingly disillusioned with the policy direction of the Labour Party, both locally and nationally.

"I first took the decision to enter politics because I wanted to help deliver better services for the area in which I live and a better vision for our country. But the Bradford Council Labour Group has no appetite to deliver for local people and the Labour Government has simply run out of ideas

"I therefore concluded it was best for me and in the interests of my constituents that I resign my membership of the Labour Party. However, I am now very proud to be a member of the Conservative Party and look forward to supporting Council Leader Kris Hopkins and my Conservative Group colleagues with their ambitious plans for Bradford district."

Bradford Council leader Cllr Kris Hopkins added:

"I am delighted to welcome Munir to the Conservative benches and believe he will quickly become a very valued member of our team on Bradford Council. His decision to join the Conservatives is clearly a sign that our efforts to make life better for the residents of Bradford district are winning support across former political divides, and this can only be good for local people."

Zahid Iqbal, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Bradford West, said:

"As I speak to people on the doorsteps across my constituency every week I am hearing the same sort of comments as those from Munir – people are disillusioned with Labour and they take communities across Bradford for granted. That is something I would never do as the MP for this area. It deserves someone with a real voice, someone not afraid to speak out on every issue."

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chris Grayling, also welcome Munir. Commenting on a visit to Bradford, he said:

"It's clear that more and more people now see David Cameron and the Conservative Party as being the only real option when it comes to leading Britain through the challenges we face. We're now finding more and more Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians deciding that they feel we are offering the right way forward, and seeking to join us.
 
"We welcome people making that change, and look forward to their help in building a better alternative for Britain."    

Cllr Munir Ahmed was first elected to Bradford Council in 2006 and currently sits as a member of the Bradford West Area Committee, the Corporate Parenting Panel and the Social Care Improvement Committee.