The Conservative candidate for Dudley North, Afzal Amin, looks set to be expelled from the party after he was recorded secretly colluding with the far-right English National Defence Legaue.
In video released by the Mail On Sunday, Amin is seen trying to persuade the EDL to announce a march against a so-called ‘mega-mosque’ planned for the area—the plan being that the march would never happen, and Amin would take credit for defusing the situation. In exchange, Amin would offer to be an “unshakeable ally” and help bring the EDL’s extreme views “out of the shadows and into the mainstream political debate”. He was secretly filmed by former EDL leader Tommy Robinson, who released the footage claiming he didn’t want to be a pawn in the scheme.
Amin was suspended following the video being made public. “Following an emergency meeting, it has been decided unanimously to suspend him as a candidate with immediate effect,” said a Tory spokeman. “The Conservative Party views this as a matter of extremely serious concern.” The Guardian are now reporting Amin will be removed from the party within days.
