Labour Party leader Ed Miliband joined the Bradford West campaign today as he lent his support to the party’s candidate Imran Hussain.

Mr Miliband answered questions at a special event hosted by the University of Bradford, and praised Mr Hussain as the ideal person to represent people in the constituency.

He said: “We’ve seen in Bradford the trebling of long-term youth unemployment. Three times more young people have been looking for work for more than 12 months than there a year ago.

"That is a crisis situation and it merited one passing reference in the budget. A budget that made our economy work for working people would have guaranteed jobs for the long-term unemployed.

"I think we can do that by taxing the bankers bonuses and putting young people back to work.”

Of the by-election he added: “I think the most important thing is that the people of Bradford West get a representative who will work the hardest for them who will seek to represent them in parliament. We’ve got a fantastic candidate in Imran Hussain, somebody who grew up locally, somebody who worked as a barrister, someone who has got huge experience on the Council.

“He’s gone round meeting thousands of people here and knows this seat incredibly well, like the back of his hand. And I think he’’ll be a great representative.

"You need somebody who will speak up in Parliament against the unfairness of this budget and Imran Hussain is the candidate who will do that. He will defend Bradford’s pensioners against the attack on them in a budget that has cut taxes for millionaires.”

The event was also attended by other Labour politicians, such as the leader of Bradford Council Ian Greenwood and Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe.

The other candidates standing in the by-election are: Neil Craig (Democratic Nationalists); George Galloway (Respect); Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (Monster Raving Loony Party); Dawud Islam (Green Party); Sonja McNally (UK Independence Party); Jeanette Sunderland (Liberal Democrat); Jackie Whiteley (Con).

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