Labour activist seeks re-election

Mr Malik was injured in riots in Burnley last year

The only ethnic minority member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee is to seek re-election in May.

Shahid Malik won the backing of his constituency party in Burnley on Monday.

He had feared he might lose local support because of his outspoken criticism of remarks made by Home Secretary David Blunkett on race.

BBC political correspondent Nicholas Jones said Mr Malik won the nomination by what was described as an extremely narrow majority.

Extremist warning

His step towards standing again for the NEC has been welcomed by Operation Black Vote, which campaigns to address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in politics.

In December Mr Malik warned the home secretary that his calls for ethnic minorities to adopt British "norms of acceptability" could be exploited by racists and the far-right British National Party.

He urged Mr Blunkett to clarify his comments, which were made ahead of the reports into last summer's race riots in towns in the north of England.

Mr Malik was injured in the riots in Burnley last June.