A PAIR of former Labour Newport councillors are fighting back after being deselected from the party by running for their former wards as Independents.

Allan Morris has represented Lliswerry since 2004 but last October was not selected as a candidate to run for next month's election.

And Pill's Omar Ali, who was elected in 2012, was also not selected in January.

Both are running as Independent candidates, but not as part of the newly-formed Newport Independents Party, which has fielded 18 candidates ahead of the May 4 vote.

Mr Morris said he would always be a "Labour and trade union man to my core", but felt he had little choice but to run on an Independent ticket.

"I'm a very reluctant Independent," he said.

"It feels very strange to do this."

He added he believed he had proven during his time as a councillor he would stand up for the interests of the people in his ward.

"I'm a good councillor if I do say so myself," he said.

"I've earned my reputation through hard work."

But he conceded he had quite a challenge on his hands without a party behind him.

"It's a massive ask," he said.

"It's a huge, huge Labour majority. I'm not going to be far off, but I know it'll be hard."

Mr Morris also said, more than five months later, he had still not been told why he had been deselected.

Both Mr Ali and Mr Morris said they had been approached by the Newport Independents Party but had ultimately decided to go it alone.

Mr Ali said, while he was "saddened" by the decision of Pill's Labour group, he was "really, really positive" about his chances.

"People are surprised that I am running on my own," he said. "But when I explain the circumstances I get a very positive response."

He added he was concerned about the selection process, claiming it was "undemocratic".

"This is out of principle," he said.

"I don't like the way the area has been treated for many years.

"That is really the thrust of why I am running."

The Pill and Lliswerry Labour groups could not be reached for comment.

Also running for the two seats in Pill are Conservatives Firdaus Asghar and Zafar Ismail as well as Ibrahim Hayat and Tracey Holyoake for Labour and Simon Coopey and Khalilur Rahman for Plaid Cymru.

Running in Lliswerry, which is represented by four councillors, are Conservatives Nicholas Clark, Dave Cox, Richard Hill and Carl Tucker as well as Ken Critchley, Farzina Hussain, Roger Jeavons and John Richards for Labour, Cam Wixcey for Plaid Cymru and James Peterson, Patrina Smith and Andrew Sterry for Ukip Wales.