Is Labour playing with racism in Pendle?

Pendle Labour Party have sent the police in against local Lib Dem candidate Afzal Anwar. This is Lancashire reports that twenty seven people are registered at the candidate's home and the police were sent in on suspected electoral fraud.

However, no postal or proxy votes are registered with these voters who are registered at the address that was more than one house now knocked into one 24 bedroom property that once served as a hotel.

Mr Anwar explained "There are different people who are living in different parts of the properties. There are certain people who go abroad from time to time. One or two are students who have been in Poland for example."

Such is the seriousness of the allegations that party leader Nick Clegg has sped down to support his candidate. We are assured that all are entitled to vote but there are concerns that Labour's tactics against Mr Anwar have a heavy hint of racist stereo typing to them.

"It's scurrilous muckraking," says Clegg's spokes-man. "It's a bit 'look at those Asian families living in one house'. Asian families here are upset about it." I dare say they are.

The Labour Party launched the complaint in revenge for the Lib Dems spotting that a Labour candidate had five people registered at his home who are also registered in different parts of town, something that cannot be said of those registered, perfectly legitimately, at Mr Anwar's properties. Dirty game, politics.