The Tories’ candidate in the Wakefield by-elections suggested that voters trust the Conservatives in the same way that people “trust GPs after Harold Shipman.”
Nadim Ahmed, who took part in next week’s vote, was asked about the party’s reputation after former West Yorkshire MP Imran Ahmad Khan was jailed for sexually abusing children.
Ahmad Khan was forced to retire last month after being convicted of abusing a 15-year-old boy in 2008. He was in prison for 18 months.
Mr Ahmed, who is seeking to succeed Ahmad Khan, was asked in an interview with ITV whether his predecessor’s conviction for sexual violence had “tarnished the reputation of the Conservative Party in Wakefield”.
He suggested that people would still trust the Tories in the same way that people trust doctors after Shipman – known as one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history – was found responsible for more than 250 deaths, including those of his patients. .
Shipman, a general practitioner, died in a suicide at Wakefield Prison in January 2004.
Mr Ahmad told ITV: “The Conservative Party is bigger than one person. What [Ahmad-Khan] I did it wrong. I say it as a parent, as a teacher. Defense is one of the greatest concerns for any teacher in the classroom.
“He is in the right place [prison]. He received the right punishment, and the people of Wakefield understand that there are bad apples in every … look at Harold Shipman.
“[Shipman] committed suicide in Wakefield Prison, but do we trust our doctors? You go to your GP, I go to my GP. We still trust our GPs. ”
In a separate interview with the Telegraph, Mr Ahmad used the same reasons to justify his view that Wakefield voters should trust the Conservative Party.
The by-elections are scheduled for Thursday, June 23, and others in Tiverton and Honiton will be held on the same day.
The seat in Tiverton and Honiton was vacated by former Tory MP Neil Parish after he admitted to watching pornography twice in the City Hall.
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