London, March 5,2012: Marsha Singh, an Indian-origin Labour party MP from Bradford West since 1997, has announced his decision to resign as a member of parliament due to health reasons. Singh, 57, was born in Punjab, and won from the Labour party stronghold in the 2010 election with a higher margin than earlier.
Since 1997, he has been a member of the Home Affairs and International Development select committees. In a statement, he said: “I have been suffering with serious health problems for some months now. I have had wonderful treatment from our fantastic National Health Service doctors and nurses here in Bradford. “But it has become clear that it is going to take much longer than I’d expected to recover”. Labour leader Ed Miliband paid tributes to Singh’s “tireless work for the people of Bradford West”, saying: “He is a man who entered politics for all the right reasons – to make a positive difference to people’s lives and to stand up for social justice in the community where he grew up”. Singh’s resignation will lead to a by-election. Miliband said he will be missed greatly by his parliamentary colleagues. “He is doing the right thing by listening to the doctors – his priority now has to be to concentrate on regaining his health, and I wish him all the best on his long road to recovery,” he said. Singh said he had been proud to represent the people of Bradford West for 15 years and termed it a “sad day” for himself. “I’m passionate about Bradford. It is where I grew up and where my children were born, so it has been a great privilege to be asked by the electorate at four general elections to be their voice in parliament”. He added: “I would like to thank the people of Bradford West from the bottom of my heart for putting their faith in me, and for all the warmth and affection they have shown me. “I would also like to thank the Labour party for all the support they’ve given me, particularly over the last few months. And I would like to thank my family – I very much look forward to being able to focus on being a dedicated husband, dad and grandad”.
Since 1997, he has been a member of the Home Affairs and International Development select committees. In a statement, he said: “I have been suffering with serious health problems for some months now. I have had wonderful treatment from our fantastic National Health Service doctors and nurses here in Bradford. “But it has become clear that it is going to take much longer than I’d expected to recover”. Labour leader Ed Miliband paid tributes to Singh’s “tireless work for the people of Bradford West”, saying: “He is a man who entered politics for all the right reasons – to make a positive difference to people’s lives and to stand up for social justice in the community where he grew up”. Singh’s resignation will lead to a by-election. Miliband said he will be missed greatly by his parliamentary colleagues. “He is doing the right thing by listening to the doctors – his priority now has to be to concentrate on regaining his health, and I wish him all the best on his long road to recovery,” he said. Singh said he had been proud to represent the people of Bradford West for 15 years and termed it a “sad day” for himself. “I’m passionate about Bradford. It is where I grew up and where my children were born, so it has been a great privilege to be asked by the electorate at four general elections to be their voice in parliament”. He added: “I would like to thank the people of Bradford West from the bottom of my heart for putting their faith in me, and for all the warmth and affection they have shown me. “I would also like to thank the Labour party for all the support they’ve given me, particularly over the last few months. And I would like to thank my family – I very much look forward to being able to focus on being a dedicated husband, dad and grandad”.