Bury: Tory adviser loses whip over ‘allegation’

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Cllr Shahbaz Arif retained his Bury West ward after municipal elections on Thursday May 4, with 1,596 votes.

He beat Labor Party candidate Adnan Chaudhry by just under 500 votes.

But CllrArifis is now listed as independent in the advice directory.

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And the leader of the Bury Conservatives, Cllr Russell Bernstein, has confirmed Mr Arif’s suspension from the party, having previously held the group’s whip.

The role of the whip is to ensure that the members of the party vote according to the will of the group.

Cllr Bernstein said: I can confirm that CllrShahbaz Arif had the Tory Whip suspended.

“I will make no further comment at this stage.”

Cllr Arif played a role in the office of Tory MP for Bury North, James Daly, and he was also suspended from that post.

Mr Daly said the decision was made following an “allegation” and a “full investigation” was underway.

But more details about the incident were not provided.

Mr. Daly said: Having been made aware of an allegation, I immediately suspended Mr. Arif from my job.

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I understand that a full investigation is ongoing, so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

Contacted by phone about the situation, CllrArif declined to comment.

Cllr Arif has represented his ward since last year after standing for election in Redvales.

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