Lib Dem candidate: "I support Labour"

There are certain things you just shouldn't say. If you're an airline pilot, for instance, it's probably not for the best if you flick on the intercom and share your woe about your cataracts playing up. Likewise, if you're in the running as an electoral candidate, it could well be a bit of a foot-in-mouth scenario if you mention your wholehearted support for another party.

Precisely what Blackburn Liberal Democrat Sajid Ibrahim has done. Okay, to be fair, he did stand down before his opponent-boosting outburst. But not before the Libs had shelled out loads of money on printing up election leaflets featuring Ibrahim's beaming face. Wah-wah-wah-waaaaahhhh ....

Ready for Ibrahim's reasoning? It's an absolute belter: "I had thought that, regardless of the party, if I could get a seat on the council I could implement the changes I wanted to. But then over the next two weeks I thought the Lib Dems were not the right party for me." One can only wonder just how many prospective candidates make the same mistake, and whether there's a poor soul in the BNP intent on running for power and then knocking down the local Wetherspoons in place of an arthouse cinema screening a non-stop foreign film festival.

As Ibrahim begins campaigning for his ex-rival (Labour's Suleman Khonat), local Lib Dem leader David Foster is understandably a bit miffed, ranting that: "It doesn't help politics if people aren't prepared to stick to their principles. We didn't twist his arm to stand - he was aware of our policies and was happy."

Presumably he had to hold his tongue before adding "oh - and vote Tory."

Written by C J Davies on 8 Apr 2008 11:27 PM. Permalink