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.

At the time of the incident Cllr Hussain said that he ‘regretted his lapse in judgement’ by attending the event and stated he was resigning from the party to protect the reputation of his borough.

Yesterday Cllr Hussain said: “I have been a Labour councillor for approximately 18 years now, and I am delighted to announce that I have been accepted back into the Labour Party.

“As you may be aware I had suspended myself from the Labour Party, due to an error of judgment on my part for which I apologise once again, and one for which me and my family paid a huge price.

“It was a hugely proud moment and an honour for me and my family when I became the mayor, and I resigned from that position so that I would not bring my party and the whole borough into disrepute.”

At the time of the incident, opposition councillors were resolute in their view that Cllr Hussain should quit as a councillor and stand down before the local elections.

Cllr Paul Browne, Liberal Democrat, said: “He should stand down as a councillor at the May elections.

“He knew the rules and should not have gone to the event.”

Rick Moore, Deputy Chair of the Blackburn Conservative Association said: "Cllr Hussain did the honourable thing in standing down as Mayor and suspending himself from the Labour Party pending investigation after breaching Covid restrictions.

"Now we find out he is back in the Labour Party and standing for re-election. What was the result of the investigation and did it even happen? Blackburn has had significant issues with high case numbers of Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, what message does this send to the people of Blackburn?

"When the Labour Party stand a candidate who can't abide by the very restrictions they have been enforcing and encouraging as Mayor it seems very much a case of do as I say not as I do. Leading by example obviously means nothing to the Labour Party in Blackburn."

Despite the criticism from others, Cllr Hussain confirmed that he had decided to stand due to the ‘immense support’ shown.

He said: “I have now consulted with my voters and supporters and they are very much behind me and have shown me immense support during this time.

“They are more than happy for me to stand as their representative in the upcoming elections.

“This last year has been unprecedented and very difficult for everyone, as we have all suffered in some way shape or form. My thoughts go out to the families who have sadly lost their loved ones.

“I urge everyone to take part in the upcoming elections, and let the voters decide.”

Blackburn with Darwen deputy Labour leader Cllr Phil Riley added: “Senior officers of the Labour group met and accepted that Iftakhar had made a serious mistake for which he has paid a very heavy price in the missing out on his mayoral year. It was felt that there was no need for any further action.”

The leader of the Conservative group in Blackburn with Darwen Councillor John Slater declined to comment.