Azhar Ali case demonstrates difficulty of selecting suitable politicians

Pressure is mounting on Labour to overhaul its vetting to avoid damaging its relationships with communities

Social media is trawled, past comments examined and interviews undertaken, as political party candidates submit themselves to an intense vetting process that has only tightened in recent years.

However, the case of Azhar Ali, the candidate Labour selected in Rochdale, once again underlines the difficulty of choosing parliamentary hopefuls who will be able to withstand the scrutiny of political life.