Bertha Joseph is putting past troubles behind her and returning to politics after being selected to stand for the Conservatives in the May 2018 local elections.

Leader of the Brent Conservative branch, Cllr John Warren, confirmed Miss Joseph will be replacing Joel Davidson next year as the candidate for Brondesbury Park.

Mr Warren said: “I’m looking forward to working hard together and I’m happy to be on the same team.”

As reported in the Kilburn Times, Miss Joseph was suspended as a councillor for the Kensal Green ward in February 2010 amid false allegations that she failed to declare two cash gifts costing £900 within the 28-day limit and used the charity money on ball gowns.

She then took up a new role as deputy leader of London’s Fire Authority under Boris Johnson, but complaints from opposition parties about her past led to her to resign from this role.

In April 2010, a police investigation cleared Miss Joseph of any wrongdoing.

At the time, a police spokeswoman said: “The matter has now been considered and in the absence of any new information there is no crime to investigate.”

Miss Joseph, who had defected from Labour to the Conservatives in 2007, said: “The Labour party were upset that I left after all those years, so they decided to do that.

“It was wrong of them, but I’m not bitter. You shrug your shoulders and carry on with life, and now I’ve been selected to stand again.

“I hope people will forget the negative things that were said about me and realise I was innocent.”

Miss Joseph is currently co-chairing the Hurricane Maria Committee at the Dominica High Commission raising around £200,000 to send aid to Dominica to help victims of the hurricane.