FORMER Conservative councillor Imtiaz Ali has announced he has quit the party.

He has blamed 'infighting' within the local association for his resignation and will fight May's Blackburn with Darwen Council elections as an independent candidate.

Mr Ali joined the party in 2010 and was councillor for Beardwood with Lammack from 2014 to 2018. He was on the borough's Planning Committee.

He also served as chairman of the Blackburn Conservat6ve Association and his resignation from the party follows a similar move by another holder of the post and former Tory council candidate Sabir Esa last summer.

Mr Ali said: “I have devoted myself unsparingly to the Conservative Party since I joined in 2010.

"I feel I have made large contributions to our party and its exposure within the community. Grassroots support is on the rise. Lately I have been very disillusioned with the infighting within the association."

Mr Ali said he was concerned at the lack of representation of the Asian community at the higher levels of the party in Lancashire and over the procedures to select Conservative candidates for May's Blackburn with Darwen Council elections.

He said: "I was proud to have served as a councillor and chairman of Blackburn Conservative Party and of the extraordinary people of my ward.

"I shall be standing in the local election in May 2019 as an independent candidate for the new Billinge and Beardwood ward."

Cllr John Slater, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council Conservative group, said: "The party is a broad church. If Mr Ali has particular problems and feels he has to resign that is unfortunate but it is his choice."