Labour Hopeful To Quit Over 'Slur'

A Labour candidate is resigning from the party because he is furious over a slur against his name which has not been cleared.

Munawar Gondal, 51, was chosen to fight the Windmill Hill seat in the local elections in May.

But he was asked to stand down after the party told him they had received an allegation that he had been involved in benefit fraud.

Mr Gondal, who lives in Showering Road, Stockwood, was summoned to a meeting at the Bristol South Labour Party office in Bedminster where he was told about the allegation.

He said: "I was shocked because this came completely out of the blue to me and I knew absolutely nothing about it.

"I asked them if they had checked with the authorities and they said they hadn't.

"I was left with a very bad feeling because this allegation was attacking my honesty and my dignity."

Mr Gondal said he immediately got in touch with the police and the authorities which deal with benefits to confirm that he was not under any kind of investigation.

He said: "I confirmed to the party in March that I was not involved in any kind of fraud or any investigation."

He said he received a reply which told him there would be a formal investigation after the election and that his candidacy to stand in the 2011 local elections was unaffected.

Mr Gondal contacted the party again after the elections, asking for his name to be cleared.

He was told that the matter was being referred to the party's regional office for a formal inquiry.

Mr Gondal said a month had now passed with no word.

He said: "I am very fed up because this allegation is still outstanding when I have done nothing wrong.

"I feel crushed because I have been a loyal member of the party for a long time. I no longer feel safe with them because my trust has gone."

Mr Gondal, who stood for the party in Bishopsworth ward in 2007, said he would be resigning from the party and is currently deciding which alternative party to join.

Joe Salter, chairman of the Bristol South Labour Party, said: "Following unsubstantiated allegations, Mr Gondal agreed to stand down as the candidate for Windmill Hill to avoid any embarrassment in the run up to the elections.

"The election period is a very busy one but we have started the process of a formal inquiry which will be carried out.

"But I am sure that this inquiry will result in Mr Gondal's name being cleared of any suggestion of benefit fraud."

"In the meantime he continues to be a candidate for the 2011 local elections."