Suspended council candidate was 'politically naïve' for appearing in George Galloway video, leader says

The leader of the Liberal Democrats has reiterated that his party is in no ‘grand alliance’ with George Galloway despite one of his candidates appearing in a video with the Rochdale MP.

Rabina Asghar, the Lib Dem candidate for Spotland and Falinge, was suspended by her party on Saturday (April 20) after appearing in the endorsement video from the Workers Party. Mr Galloway, who became MP for Rochdale in the February by-election, spoke in the video released on April 20 encouraging voters to back Lib Dem Rabina Asghar, 'to get Labour out of the town hall'.

Coun Andy Kelly, the leader of the Rochdale Lib Dems, has again stated that he is in no alliance with Mr Galloway and believes this issue was due to Ms Asghar’s political naivety.

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“In my view, having spoken to Rabina, she has made a gross error of judgement. She is very regretful about what she has done.

“She should’ve said no (to appearing on the video). The party swiftly and correctly suspended her (on Saturday).

“She has been politically naive and is very remorseful. She is trying to correct the situation.

“It was above my head to suspend her but it is the correct thing to do.

“We are not in a grand alliance and we have warned our candidates not to do that (be associated with the Workers Party).”

The Lib Dem leader, who is also vying to retain his seat in the ward of newhey>Milnrow and Newhey, has previously denied being in an alliance with the Workers Party to oppose Labour in Rochdale at the local elections on May 2. The Lib Dems, together with the Middleton Independents and one of George Galloway’s by-election rivals, David Tully, all declared they do not want to be associated with him despite a Worker’s party press release stating otherwise.

Ms Asghar was one of two Lib Dems candidates endorsed by Mr Galloway alongside Smallbridge and Firgrove candidate Zulfiqar Ali in the release issued earlier this month.

Following on from the weekend incident, Ms Asghar said: “We bumped into George Galloway whilst canvassing local voters in the area where I live and didn't want to disrespect the local MP by refusing to appear in his video.

“I realise now that I was politically naive to do this. I want to make clear that I am not part of any alliance and I simply want to improve and develop Rochdale and in particular my ward of Spotland and Falinge.

“I am not affiliated with any other party except the Liberal Democrats.”

Ms Asghar, a translator for the NHS, has unsuccessfully contested the Spotland and Falinge ward for the Lib Dems in each of the last three local elections, each time coming within a few hundred votes of the Labour candidate.

A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said on April 20: “We wholly reject the divisive politics of George Galloway and do not want any endorsement or connection to him.”