A Labour councillor has resigned in protest after the party parachuted a former council leader in to stand as an election candidate in his ward.

Councillor Surjit Dhaliwal defected this week from Labour to the Hounslow Independent Alliance, announcing he will take on Colin Ellar for the Hounslow Heath seat.

Coun Dhaliwal said he felt the London Labour party let him down when it elbowed him out as a candidate in favour of Mr Ellar, leader of Hounslow Council from 2004 to 2006.

He said: “I have been a good councillor and have been working for the Labour party for a long time, if you were in my position you would be angry as well.

“I don’t think Colin Ellar will do very well, a lot of people from my constituency have been ringing me every day asking what’s happening.

“People have been pushing me to stand because I did a lot of work for the Asian community and a lot of people there, I’ve been living there for a very long time and I know a lot of people from the temple, the church, everywhere.”

Coun Dhaliwal said he was “100 per cent” sure the Independents will win all three seats in Hounslow Heath, adding: “People say they don’t care about the party, they will vote for the man that will do the best for them.”

Mr Ellar, Labour’s vice-chairman of the Feltham and Heston constituency, said the regional party selected its three candidates for the ward “on merit in preference to Councillor Dhaliwal”.

He said: “That was something which was done in an absolutely fair way, and I’ve no idea what process they used because I wasn’t on the panel.

“There’s definitely no personal animosity, I’ve done nothing to remove him or done anything against him.”

He added: “My views are what they are, and my affiliation is most definitely to the values of the Labour party.

“If Coun Dhaliwal’s affiliations change according to circumstances then obviously that’s a reflection on him and his values.

“It’s either the Labour party who are going to win the council, or the Tory party are going to win the council, not the Independents. I think people need to realise that, and I think most voters will realise that.”

• What do you think? Let us know by email (gholt@london.newsquest.co.uk), phone the newsdesk on 020 8744 4271 or leave a comment below.