Labour five swap sides

2:09pm Monday 9th July 2007

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FIVE Labour councillors from Southall have swapped sides to the Conservatives in protest against their "disorganised and divided" party.

The councillors, including former Mayor Cllr Gurcharan Singh who was excluded from Labour's final shortlist last week, have written a joint statement praising David Cameron's Conservatives and their Ealing Southall candidate Tony Lit.

The statement reads: "Locally since Conservatives took control of Ealing Council in May 2006 we have noticed that they have been making great strides towards trying to improve the quality of life for all our residents. "We've finally reached the stage where it has become blatantly obvious that we would be doing own voters a great disservice if we continue to dogmatically stick with a disorganised and divided Labour Party.

"Our goal is to see genuine improvements for our residents. We believe that the Conservative Party now provides our community with greater opportunities and is genuinely interested in improving services for all."

But Labour leader Sonika Nirwal has slammed the defection saying that Gurcharan Singh is only pursuing his only political ends.

"I am, of course, disappointed that Gurcharan Singh has betrayed the voters who elected him as a Labour councillor by opportunistically joining the Tory Party," she said.

"Gurcharan Singh has always made clear that his driving ambition was to become an MP. And he did everything he could within the Labour Party to achieve that ambition.

"But I am still shocked that he is willing to go to any lengths to become an MP.

"I know that what the community in Southall want in their next MP is someone who is a unifying force. "What Gurcharan Singh has done today is hugely divisive and the Tories will not gain any votes from it. The people of Southall are uniting behind Virendra Sharma."

But Cllr Singh told the Ealing Times: "It's been coming for the past two or three years ever since the old leader John Cudmore left - councillor Nirwal hasn't done anything to unite the party.

"She is entitled to her view but i think this is probably just the view of the party - they've passed it to her and she's just signed it.

"I think she should be focusing on her own duties rather than concentrating on me.

"I wanted to do the honourable thing and I have moved over with a clear conscientious."

And speaking at Ealing Town Hall today David Cameron welcomed his new recruits.

"I'm delighted to announce that five Labour Councillors in Ealing and Southall have come over and joined the Conservative Party and are giving support to our candidate, Tony Lit, who I think everyone now accepts would be the best Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall," he said.

"I think it is a really important moment for Ealing Southall, but also an important moment in British politics. This is the clearest possible indication that the Conservative Party having been changed and modernised is now a voice for everybody.

"We have broadened our appeal and many more people now feel that they can make their home in the modern Conservative Party.

"I think particularly for British Asians who share our values and strong belief in family, enterprise and work, the Conservative Party is their natural home.

"I am delighted that such talented councillors have come to the party because they believe that only the Conservative Party can bring the change the country needs."