Bolton Labour has called for “urgent answers” after an Instagram video emerged which appears to show Baggy Khan, a candidate for the Halliwell ward filming content from inside a moving car while driving.
Labour wants urgent answers
Bolton Labour has called for “urgent answer” after an Instagram video emerged which appears to show Baggy Khan, a candidate for the Halliwell ward, filming content from inside a moving car while driving.
Labour claim that if confirmed, it would show “extremely dangerous and disgraceful judgement and behaviour that puts other road users and pedestrians at risk”.
Mr Khan hit back saying the content was “very old” and he was “confident that I will be able to prove that I am not guilty of breaking the law”.
He said the reason he was standing for the Greens was that he was sick of ‘gutter politics’ and accused Labour of being “worried about losing yet another ‘safe’ seat to the Greens”.
The six-second clip appears to show Mr Khan in the front seat of a car with a seatbelt on before switching to a view of a car being driven along a motorway from the point of view of the driver.
Bolton Labour has called on the Green Party to withdraw Mr Khan as their candidate and said that ‘anyone seeking public office should understand that road safety is not optional and that representatives must meet basic standards of responsibility’.
Cllr Rabiya Jiva, who is Bolton’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “Residents in Halliwell have a right to expect that anyone asking for their vote takes public safety seriously.
“This footage appears to show shocking irresponsibility. “If a Green Party candidate thinks filming content while driving is acceptable, then the Greens need to explain that judgement to the public.”
Mr Khan is sure he has done nothing wrong
Mr Khan said: “I am confident that I will be able to prove that I am not guilty of breaking the law.
“Anyone who knows me will know that I am a clean-cut young man with no criminal record. I give respect to all and am often involved in helping and mediating in the community.
“Labour have framed their story in a fashion to try and tar me with the same brush as those irresponsible drivers who drive at crazy speeds and film themselves whilst putting others at risk, which is absolutely not the case here.
“I got into politics to help my local communities and to represent young people in politics as many are disenfranchised with the gutter politics that have been carrying on for years.”
Green Party is internally investigating the matter
Cllr Hanif Alli, who currently represents Halliwell and is chairman of Bolton Green Party, said the party is ‘internally investigating’ the matter.
Final nominations for candidates in local elections on Thursday, May 7 are set to be confirmed after 4pm on Thursday, April 9.
An article by Local Democracy Reporter Chris Gee
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