Labour Candidate Steps Down After 72 Hours

The Labour candidate selected to fight Respect's George Galloway in Bradford West has stepped down just 72 hours after she was selected.

Amina Ali, who had been a councillor from Tower Hamlets in London, tweeted: "I would like to stop the rumour mill, I have stepped down".

She later deleted the message but has now confirmed the move, saying it would have been too disruptive for her family.

Ms Ali said it had been an "honour and privilege" to be selected to fight for "the party I love" but she added: "I am a mother of two children and despite my efforts to make arrangements to bring them to Bradford for the next 70 days, particularly as one of them is doing her GCSEs, this would have caused massive disruption at a critical time. I would not be able to do justice to the members of Bradford West CLP and the people of Bradford."

The statement suggests she failed to think through the implications of going for the selection, with one local councillor claiming she had a look of "shock and horror on her face" when she realised she had won the candidacy.

But rumours circulating online suggest there could be another reason for the decision, with some suggesting that she clashed with local Labour figures.

Mr Galloway said: "New Labour in Bradford is in shambles. Well, no change there. This is playing like an out-take from The Thick Of It. Omnishambles doesn't begin to do it justice.

"She resigned in a tweet on Tuesday night and then took it down, presumably after the party bigwigs started trying to woo her back.

"And on Wednesday she says it's all about her kids. Perhaps she looked at Bradford schools' results and decided she couldn't do that to them? Didn't she think it through before she put her name forward?

"Of course she did and no-one's going to be taken it by that. Not even Malcolm Tucker could spin it successfully. The real reason is the war inside Bradford West Labour Party and she's retreated from it, badly wounded."

Guido Fawkes, the online commentator, claimed that the local party had been in uproar about a London candidate being parachuted in.

He suggested the selection had been part of a deal with Mr Galloway to go easy on him in Bradford in return for him not running to be Mayor of London, and in doing so eating into Labour’s vote.

A party spokesman said he would not comment on the suggestion.