RELATIONS between local Liberal Democrats and the party leadership have hit rock-bottom in the wake of David Ward’s sacking.

The local party is poised to make an official complaint about the way in which leader Tim Farron fired the former MP as a parliamentary candidate, shortly after they selected him last month.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, who leads the Liberal Democrat group on Bradford Council and worked closely with Mr Ward while he was Bradford East MP, said the local party had been left “stunned” by Mr Farron’s treatment of them.

She said they had also been “unable” to select a replacement local candidate in the time they had left before the deadline for nominations closed yesterday.

Regional party chiefs have now stepped in to impose their own choice of candidate, Preston-based councillor Mark Jewell.

Mr Farron sacked Mr Ward as a candidate and suspended him from the party last month, accusing him of making “deeply offensive” anti-Semitic comments in the past.

At the time, Mr Farron told the media that the “local party’s decision to select him again is wrong and I disagree with it completely”.

Cllr Sunderland said: “David and the local party were publicly criticised by the leader of the Liberal Democrats. The local party is stunned by that criticism of themselves.

“They were stunned. They have done nothing more than follow the rules laid down by the Liberal Democrats.”

She said the national party had already investigated comments Mr Ward had made in the past, and “he was never found guilty of being an anti-Semite”.

Cllr Sunderland said Mr Ward had stood for election in May 2015 “and the party made no comment”, and was last year also lined up as a candidate under emergency rules ahead of any potential snap election.

She said: “I’m astounded that the Liberal Democrats, at the last moment, found a reason to suspend David but do not, as yet, know what it is.

“I’m shocked that a leader would criticise a local party in such a manner, so, given the timescales, we were unable to follow selection rules in order to select a local candidate.”

She said they were preparing to make an official complaint over the matter, but could only do so after the election.

A spokesperson for the national Liberal Democrats said: “It has been a tough few weeks for everyone in the Bradford team and we are very pleased that Mark will be representing the Liberal Democrat party in Bradford East next month.”

The spokesman said Mr Jewell had been selected by the regional team using a process they had employed in many seats across the country.

Mr Ward, who has now said he will run as an independent against the Liberal Democrats, also said he had been contacted by one local Lib Dem activist who had written to Mr Farron saying she was quitting the party in protest at his sacking.