Fighting talk from big-hitting Tory trio

ON your side now . . . Basit Shah shakes hands as he switches from Labour to Tory at the Conservative campaign HQ

A former Labour councillor has defected to the Conservatives to fight the local elections in May.

Basit Shah, from Coppice, made up a trio of defectors who have switched allegiances when he was welcomed to the party by North-West Tory Euro-MP Sajjad Karim yesterday.

Mr Karim opened the new Conservative campaign office at Broseley House in Union Street, which will also be headquarters for the prospective Tory candidate in Oldham West and Royton, Kamran Ghafoor.

Mr Karim was first elected as a North-West Liberal Democrat Euro-MP in 2004, but turned Tory in 2008 and successfully retained his seat last year.

Mr Ghafoor, a former St Augustine’s RC School pupil, was a Labour councillor in Werneth for a year in 2003.

And Mr Shah, from Coppice, was a Labour councillor for two years in St Mary’s ward in 2002-04.

Both local men have promised to be big-hitters in the political fights they face this year. Mr Ghafoor (31) will challenge veteran Labour MP and former minister Michael Meacher at the General Election.

Mr Shah (49) will try and unseat Oldham Councillor, former Mayor, and deputy Labour leader Shoab Akhtar.

Mr Ghafoor, a businessman with a property and petrol station portfolio, said: “There is a lack of interest and a lack of concern about what is going on in Oldham.

“Mr Meacher is very detached — we call him the absentee MP. People like Mr Meacher think they can walk into Oldham and win the election. Now they will really have a fight on their hands.”

Mr Shah, whose business is also in Werneth, added: “I haven’t renewed my membership to Labour since July and to be honest you come to a point where you need something better.

“I think people want change.

“We have two main political parties in Oldham — Labour and Liberal Democrat.

“I’m not saying we will take control but I think we will become more important. It will be a big fight.”