JUSTINE Miliband, the wife of Labour leader Ed, said she was “proud” to hit the campaign trail in the district yesterday, describing Naz Shah as a “fantastic candidate” for the Bradford West seat.

At an event at Forster Community College in the city centre, Mrs Miliband talked to first-time voters alongside Ms Shah, discussing topics such as the importance of voting, and the impact of cuts to education.

She was then given a tour of the institution, meeting staff and students from the Young Chef’s Academy in the college café.

Asked why she had chosen to visit Bradford and support Ms Shah, Mrs Miliband said: “Naz is an inspiring, courageous, and determined woman, who is deeply rooted in Bradford.

“She was born here, brought up here, is bringing her kids up here, and she will provide an incredibly strong voice for everyone in Bradford West.”

The constituency has been labelled as potentially one of the most keenly-contested seats in the country, and Ms Thornton commented: “I’m not a politician, so I’ll leave it to them to talk about those sort of things.

“But, for me personally, it’s very much up to the people in Bradford West to decide what is important to them in this election, and I’m sure they will.”