Suspended council candidate was ‘politically naive’ because he appeared in George Galloway video, says chairman

The Liberal Democrat leader has reiterated that his party will not form a “grand alliance” with George Galloway, despite one of his candidates appearing in a video with the Rochdale MP.

Rabina Asghar, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Spotland and Falinge, was suspended from her party on Saturday (April 20) after appearing in the Workers Party’s support video. Mr Galloway, who became MP for Rochdale in the by-election in February, spoke in the video released on April 20, urging voters to support Liberal Democrat Rabina Asghar “to get Labour out of City Hall”.

Rochdale Liberal Democrat leader Andy Kelly has reiterated that he is not aligned with Mr Galloway and that this point is due to Ms Asghar’s political naivety.

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“After speaking to Rabina, I believe she made a grave mistake. She deeply regrets what she did.

“She should have said no (to her appearance in the video). The party suspended her quickly and correctly (on Saturday).”

“She was politically naive and deeply regrets her actions. She is trying to correct the situation.”

“It was beyond my capabilities to suspend her, but it is the right thing to do.

“We are not in a grand alliance and have warned our candidates against doing this (associating themselves with the Labour Party).”

The Liberal Democrat leader, who is also fighting for his Newhey>Milnrow and Newhey borough seat, has previously denied forming an alliance with the Workers Party to fight Labour in Rochdale’s May 2 local elections. The Liberal Democrats, the Middleton Independents and one of George Galloway’s rivals in the by-election, David Tully, have all said they do not want to be associated with him, despite a Workers Party press release claiming otherwise.

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

Following the weekend’s incident, Ms Asghar said: ‘We came across George Galloway by chance while polling in the area where I live and did not want to disrespect the local MP by refusing to appear in his video.

“I now realise that it was politically naive of me to do this. I want to make it 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 don’t belong to any party other than the Liberal Democrats.”

Ms Asghar, a translator for the NHS, stood unsuccessfully for the Liberal Democrats in the Spotland and Falinge constituencies in the last three local elections, coming in just a few hundred votes behind the Labour candidate each time.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said on April 20: “We strongly oppose George Galloway’s divisive policies and seek neither support for nor association with him.”