A LONG-SERVING Bradford councillor has defected from Labour to join George Galloway's Respect party.

Adrian Longthorn will now contest the council elections in May for his new party in the Clayton and Fairweather Green ward.

He has been elected as a Labour councillor in the city in three different wards, Thornton, Wyke and Clayton and Fairweather Green, but is not currently a councillor. He has also served as election agent for Bradford Council deputy leader Imran Hussain.

Mr Longthorn said: "Obviously it was a huge wrench leaving Labour after more than 30 years. "But I've been feeling for a long time now that Labour has actually left me.

"It's unrecognisable to the party I joined, and not in a good way.

"It no longer represents the aspirations and hopes of working people.

"In this city, the party's hold on power has strangled initiative and grassroots organisation.

"Respect represents all that old Labour was and George Galloway is a huge political figure with not just a massive local following but national and international clout."

Cllr David Green (Lab), Bradford Council leader, said: "Adrian has been a member of the Labour Party for many years.

"I'm always sorry that anybody would leave the party to join another party.

"He has not been somebody who has been active within the organisation for some time and I don't know the reasons why he has made this decision.

"But to join a party that has been a negative for Bradford, then that is his decision to make."