A former Respect party candidate advised there is 'nothing wrong' with fathers arranging marriages for some 15-year-olds as it emerged that husbands who rape and abuse their wives are let into the UK.

Asama Javed is an immigration solicitor based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and was caught advising that girls could be married off if 'mentally or physically ready'.

Footage of her suggestion emerged as a Freedom of Information request showed the Home Office received 175 inquiries about victims trying to block spouses' visas last year.

George Galloway (pictured with Asama Javed) hailed her as a star when she deflected from Labour to Respect

Of these, 88 became full cases, which included direct requests from victims, known as 'reluctant sponsors', requests from third parties or instances where an official suspected a forced marriage, The Times reports.

It is two years since Mrs Javed resigned as a Labour councillor in the city, deflecting in a bid to become a Respect MP in nearby Halifax.

Welcoming her to his party, George Galloway described the mother of four as a 'star' with 'prestige'.

But The Times reports that one of its journalists was told he could marry off his 15-year-old daughter as he posed as a father seeking her advice.

'If she is mentally or physically ready and she is 15 or 16 years old, then there is no harm in it,' the 44-year-old told the Pakistani man in front of her. 'My [friend] was married when she was 15 but, by the grace of God, she was intelligent.'

Telling him that her friend's daughters were also at 'the age of marriage' and will now be wed.

As well as working at Reiss Solicitors, she sits on Bradford Council's fostering panel and is a school governor.

The solicitor (pictured) unwittingly advised an undercover journalist that it was acceptable to marry some girls off aged 15

The paper deployed its undercover reporter in response to a credible force saying that they believed Mrs Javed was helping families obtain visas and arrange forced marriages.

The journalist claimed to have a daughter aged 15 and another who had just turned 18.

Telling Mrs Javed that the older daughter had been married in Pakistan and was pregnant, he claimed that he was hoping to bring her and the husband home to the UK despite telling her that the unhappy daughter did not want to man to come back with her.

The solicitor (pictured at an event with George Galloway) was once a Labour councillor in Bradford

She warned him that 'everybody will be in trouble' if UK authorities suspect a forced marriage has taken place before advising him to 'bribe' and 'spoil' his daughter to avoid her making a fuss and risking criminal charges for those involved.

She advised him not to apply for a spousal visa for his son-in-law because that would need his daughter's backing.

Instead Mrs Javed told him to bring his daughter back alone so she could have the baby. Then her husband could apply for entry as the baby's father and come to the UK without the girl knowing or giving him permission.

The Home Office dealt with nearly 90 cases of forced marriage victims trying to block visas last year, although almost half were still issued.

Speaking in a mixture of Urdu and English, she told him girls can be ready for marriage below the age of consent - but advised him to wait until his younger daughter was 16 to avoid trouble with the law.

She asked the reporter if he believes his younger daughter is ready for marriage, to which he replies 'no'.

Mrs Javed then responds by saying 'there is no harm in it' if the child is 'mentally and physically ready' and is aged 15 our 16.

But she suggested it was more effective and less risky to win youngsters over by bribing them.

The exchange was caught on film by the journalist and showed to forced marriage expert barrister Usha Sood.

It is illegal to assist or simply to encourage an offence if you believe it will be committed.

Ms Sood said it was a clear case of 'forced marriage-fixing' that reinforced criminal and immigration breaches and deceives the state while entrapping an individual.

Mrs Javed switched from Labour to Respect - the party founded by George Galloway - in the hope of becoming MP in Halifax

Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal suggested the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) investigate Mrs Javed.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police thanked The Times for providing the information and said the force will review it.

Bradford council has shared details of the exchange with the local fostering panel on which Mrs Javed sits as well as the school at which she is a governor.

The SRA advised that every solicitor is required to uphold high professional standards and that it will take action where they fail to do so.

Solicitor's visa advice on deceiving daughter Mrs Javed offered help to the undercover reporter in getting her supposed husband a visa without the usual support the wife is supposed to give. She did this by suggesting that the daughter be encouraged to come over alone to give birth to the man's child. This would then allow the husband to ignore his wife's preference and come to the UK as the child's father once it is born. Neither the permission nor the knowledge of the daughter would be required for him to come to the country in that instance. But she warned that if the authorities found out, there was still a risk the family would be split up, especially if the daughter reported her unhappy state to authorities. Although foreign parents can apply for visas if the have a child under 18 that is a British citizen, they should only do this if they are not eligible for spousal visas. Should a father be caught applying behind his wife's back and not declaring their marriage to the Home Office, they would be withholding crucial information. This could result in an applicant being banned from the country for 10 years. Advertisement

Mrs Javed also has an unpaid county court judgment of £28,458 that Bradford county court issued her four years ago. MailOnline has contacted Mrs Javed and Mr Galloway for comment.

Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request by The Times showed the Home Office had received 175 inquiries about victims trying to block spouses' visas last year.

Of these, 88 became full cases, which included direct requests from victims, known as 'reluctant sponsors', requests from third parties or instances where an official suspected a forced marriage.

Forced marriage victim support charity Karma Nirvana said it was being alerted to cases nationally.

Founder Jasvinder Sanghera told The Times: 'Even when officials know it's a forced marriage, they see tradition, culture or religion and they're reticent to deal with it. They are turning a blind eye.'

Meanwhile, Aneeta Prem, founder of Freedom, which also supports victims, said it had seen 'a number of cases like this and they go unchallenged'.

'The girls are physically and sexually abused by the men that come over,' she told the paper.

Laws making it illegal to force someone into marriage in England and Wales were introduced in 2014. Anyone found guilty of doing so can be jailed for up to seven years.

As well as banning the practice, police were given powers to issue Forced Marriage Protection Orders to help protect victims, breaches of which are punishable by up to five years in prison.

Speaking at the time, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, said forced marriage was 'a tragedy for each and every victim'.

In 2013, the year before laws were introduced, the Government's Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage to more than 1,300 people. In 2017 the unit gave advice or support in 1,196 cases.

The Home Office said today that the UK was a world-leader in tackling the 'horrendous crime of forced marriage'.

A spokeswoman said: 'Work to combat it is an integral part of our cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published in March 2016.

'We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. If an individual refuses to act as the sponsor for a visa application then under the immigration rules, that visa should not be issued.

'There are a number of reasons why cases are referred to the forced marriage unit, not all of which are the result of a reluctant sponsor getting in contact. In some cases it will be decided, following enquiries, that no further action is necessary and a visa will be issued.'

Labour MP Naz Shah said the situation seemed 'alarming'.

She told Sky News: 'I certainly will be writing to the Home Secretary to make sure that we are looking at changing the law to protect the victims.'

Ms Shah added: 'There is nothing racist about highlighting the fact that a girl is being forced into a marriage, or protecting that victim.

'Abuse is abuse regardless of any cultures, and that needs to be understood loudly and clearly.'