Former Sunderland Conservative councillor who defected to Labour opens up on shock decision

Cllr Ali said he was fed up of seeing people having to “stay in their box” and that becoming a Labour councillor afforded him greater freedom of speech and support to deliver for his residents.

He also stressed he decided to withdraw from the process of applying to be a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party as he “no longer wanted to be a Tory MP” and had become disillusioned with the party.

Outlining his reasons for defecting to Labour, Cllr Ali said: “Everybody is unhappy with Boris Johnson and Partygate, but my first reason for leaving the party is that I was disgusted by the treatment of Helen Greener who the party chose to deselect to stand as a candidate for Barnes Ward. I thought she had done a brilliant job and this was very disloyal.

"Helen is a family friend and the reason I came into politics. I’m a loyal person and felt I needed to take a stand against what happened.”

Another key factor in Cllr Ali’s decision is what he feels is the chronic under-funding of the NHS and Police Force which put him in a position where he felt he could no longer support the party.

He added: “The Government’s funding of the NHS and Police is not good enough and there have been so many years of cuts and under-funding. I have family who work in the NHS and you have nurses doing the jobs of three and four people and getting paid a poor wage.

"I also think the Government has forgotten about small businesses, many of which are dealing with rising costs and are now working with next to no margins. More needs to be done to support these businesses as many are facing liquidation.

"Because of these situations, I felt I could no longer support the Conservative Party and I’ve also completely lost faith in the local leadership of the party.”

Following Cllr Ali’s annuncement yesterday (Wednesday March 22), leader of the Sunderland Conservatives, Antony Mullen said: “Cllr Ali’s public Facebook page documents a record of Labour failures. It is a most bizarre decision by someone who has views firmly on the right.”

However, Cllr Ali said he had removed his anti-Labour posts and that the posts he had put online criticising the Labour Party had been posted following being directed to do so. Cllr Mullen, however, disputes this assertion.

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Cllr Ali feels his decision will not only benefit him, but also the people he represents.

He said: “The residents of Ryhope have always been my priority and I ultimately feel I can do more for the ward as a Labour councillor.”

Following the defection, Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “I’ve always known Usman as a hard-working and dedicated ward councillor. He will make a valuable addition to the Labour Group and alongside Cllr Martyn Herron will continue to be a champion for the people of Ryhope.”