TWO political opponents have begun their election campaigns in an unusual fashion - by being very complimentary about each other.

Labour’s Naz Shah has welcomed the news she will once again face Conservative George Grant in this year’s General Election, calling him “a real gentleman”.

This came after Mr Grant posted a message on social networking site Twitter sharing a video of Ms Shah’s re-election campaign launch.

The video showed Ms Shah’s young daughter Leyana giving a humorous speech in which she called her mum “a wild, bossy woman” who will “stick up for what she believes in and won’t let anyone stop her”.

Mr Grant shared it on Twitter, saying: “It’s quite possible to be standing as @NazShahBfd’s opponent for #BradfordWest and still think this is a lovely moment.”

Social media users, including Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and TV personality Martin Lewis, have praised the friendly interaction between the two rival candidates.

The last time the pair stood against each other, in the 2015 General Election, the fight for Bradford West was dominated by bitter clashes between Ms Shah and her predecessor, firebrand Respect MP George Galloway.

Mr Galloway had accused Ms Shah of lying about the age in which she had been forced into marriage in her youth, with Ms Shah’s team releasing her marriage certificate in response.

Ms Shah had also made complaints about an anonymous campaign of intimidation against her, including finding a dead crow with grass stuffed in its beak outside her family home and fake Twitter activity.

She said at the time Mr Grant had defended her against personal attacks.

She said: “He stood up for me. He came out and showed what kind of person he was. Our politics can be very different, but as a person he came out in support of me last time.”

Ms Shah said she was looking forward to a calmer General Election this time around, which could “be about policy but not personality”.

The Greens’ Celia Hickson and Liberal Democrat Alun Griffiths are also standing in Bradford West again this year, after both contesting the seat in 2015.

UKIP has not yet said whether it will be standing a candidate in the seat but is expected to make an announcement imminently.