LABOUR'S candidate in Bradford West maintains local activists have united behind her campaign, amid rumours of an ongoing rift within the party.

Charity boss Naz Shah said the party was "pretty united", despite claims that local anger over the candidate selection process is not dying away.

She said: "I have got full support from them. At the end of the day, what people locally recognise is whatever the issues were, they weren't about me personally. There was never anything personal between me and anybody.

"I'm the parliamentary candidate and the team have all pulled together to support me."

Local members were said to be unhappy that national party bosses had imposed their choice of candidate on the local party after the previous candidate, Londoner Amina Ali, stepped down.

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Some were even said to be ready to campaign for George Galloway's Respect party.

Yesterday, Mr Galloway's spokesman Ron McKay confirmed Labour activists had been helping them with their campaign, but said they would not want to be identified.

He said: "I think the catastrophic way that Labour handled the selection process, basically angering everybody, has played right into our hands."

Long-standing Labour councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq (Bradford Moor), a former Lord Mayor of Bradford, said local party members were "shocked and angry" with national bosses.

He said he stood by comments he made earlier this month that the feeling out there is that the Labour party wants to teach the Muslim community a lesson for voting for George Galloway.

But he said he could not comment on what the situation in Bradford West was now as he was busy helping with Councillor Imran Hussain's election campaign to win Bradford East for Labour.

And he said any ill-feeling had not spilled over into Bradford East "in any form or shape".

Last week, Labour councillor Asama Javed (Manningham) defected to Respect, and was revealed as its parliamentary candidate for Halifax.

She had failed to be selected to run again as a councillor for Labour.

And the newly reformed Respect group on Bradford Council has hinted that yet more Labour councillors could jump ship.

Respect group leader Councillor Alyas Karmani (Little Horton) said disillusioned Labour members who were not "going to walk over" to Respect could decide to sit as independents.

He said: "From what I'm led to believe, after the election the chamber might be quite different. There might be a number more independents, possibly."

And he said the Respect group hoped to set up a wider group on the council, incorporating its members as well as any left-of-centre independent councillors.

Labour group chief whip, Councillor Sher Khan (Little Horton), dismissed claims of a major rift.

He said: "My policy is always to keep the party united and it is. They are all united here."

Also standing in Bradford West are George Grant for the Conservatives, Alun Griffiths for the Liberal Democrats, Celia Hickson for the Greens, Mohammed 'Harry' Boota for Ukip and Independent candidate James Kirkcaldy.