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A GLASGOW Labour councillor has defected to the SNP after "coming to the conclusion that Scotland will be better off as an independent country".

Irfan Rabbani, 49, has been a member of the Labour party for over 20 years and councillor for Pollokshields since 2007.

Mr Rabbani will join Glasgow City Council's SNP group for the remainder of the current session but will not stand as a candidate at the local elections in May.

Announcing his defection, Mr Rabbani said: "In many ways, this decision was as easy for me to make as it was momentous. For some time now I have been coming to the conclusion that Scotland will be better off as an independent country, deciding for ourselves what is best for our country, our families and our communities.

"I want to live in a Scotland that has social justice at its heart, that doesn't have to put up with weapons of mass destruction on the River Clyde and that never again has to see our young men and women dragged into an illegal war.

"For all these reasons, and more, I will be voting yes in the referendum in autumn 2014 and I want to play my full part in the yes campaign over the next two-and-a-half years.

"I am simply not prepared to be part of a Labour-Tory coalition that seems intent on talking Scotland down rather than making a positive case for what they believe in."

Mr Rabbani said he wants to "see change in Glasgow City Chambers".

He said: "The simple fact is that Labour has been in power for too long in Glasgow and have become complacent. There is too little transparency in the way Labour is run and that can also be true of the administration in Glasgow.

"It can also seem that they think picking fights with the SNP Government is more important than standing up for the city.

"I will not be standing as a candidate in May's local elections but I will be campaigning for the election of SNP councillors across the city."

SNP group leader Allison Hunter said: "I am delighted to welcome Irfan to the SNP group. He has been an effective councillor over the past five years and I look forward to the contribution he will make to the SNP group for the remainder of this session."

MSP for Glasgow Southside and SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said: "Irfan is a councillor in my constituency and so I know how highly thought of he is locally. I am delighted that he has joined the SNP.

"I have been aware for a while that he has been growing more convinced of the independence case. I look forward to campaigning with him in both the local elections and for a yes vote in the referendum."

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: "Mr Rabbani was de-selected by the Labour party on the basis that he was not good enough as a councillor.

"This is not a job for life and we are raising the bar significantly to put forward a new team of first-rate candidates.

"Only a few months ago the SNP were vigorously attacking him for his excessive mobile phone bills. If the SNP are reduced to fielding people rejected as not being good enough for Labour, that is fine but shows how desperate they are.

"But in truth this causes more of a headache for the SNP: Labour already deselected him but now Nicola Sturgeon's party machine has to parachute him in, even though it has already chosen all their candidates."