Councillor Iftakhar Hussain
A MAYOR who quit his post after he was caught attending a wedding during the national lockdown has been readmitted into the Labour Party and will stand in upcoming local elections. Councillor Iftakhar Hussain suspended himself from the group after he was caught out by police at a wedding with up to 30 other people in attendance in February. He, along with eight others, were issued with £200 fines. At the same time Cllr Hussain resigned as Blackburn with Darwen Borough’s ‘First Citizen’ and an investigation was launched into his conduct. However it has now been established that the Bastwell and Daisyfield councillor has been reinstated into the party and will stand again in the forthcoming May elections, after spending the last two months upholding his role as an independent.
Blackburn mayor resigns after COVID-19 breach
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen has resigned after he received a police fine for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Cllr Iftakhar Hussain was fined £200 after police found him at a house celebrating a wedding with a reported eight other people.
Cllr Hussain has now stepped down from his role and has offered his ‘deepest apologies’ for the incident.
He said: ‘Given recent events, I have taken the decision to step down from my position as the mayor of Blackburn with Darwen with immediate effect. I believe this is the right thing to do and I no longer believe I can continue to serve as mayor to the best of my ability.
Covid-19: PM urges optimistic but patient approach, and travellers describe hotel quarantine
Published
1. Optimistic but patient approach to Covid - PM
People must be optimistic but patient about the coronavirus situation in the UK and the end to restrictions, Boris Johnson has said. In a government briefing, the prime minister hailed the achievement of the vaccine rollout, but warned that now was not the time to relax. He said he would set out a roadmap next week, providing a route to normality to move England out of lockdown - but he could not guarantee that this would be the final one. It comes after No 10 said it had hit its target to offer a jab to the UK s 15 million most vulnerable people.
A MAYOR today quit his post after being given a £200 fine for flouting coronavirus restrictions. Cllr Iftakhar Hussain has resigned as Blackburn with Darwen Borough s First Citizen and suspended himself from the council s ruling Labour group. His decision came as town hall conduct bosses launched an investigation after the incident on Saturday. Cllr Hussain apologised for an ‘error of judgement’ in attending an event, described as ‘a wedding’ with up to 30 people present. The Bastwell and Daisyfield councillor was one of nine people fined by police. He said: Given recent events I have taken the decision to step down from my position as the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen with immediate effect.