Tories and Labour coming unstuck in local election campaigns

3.26.05pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 14th Apr 2006

David Cameron's attempts to reach out to voters are coming unstuck as two Conservative councillors have defected to the Liberal Democrats. There has also been another defection to the Liberal Democrats, only this time from Labour.

Preston Councillors Sharon Riley and Marie Milne joined the Liberal Democrats after a Tory local election candidate commented that an ethnic minority candidate "wouldn't work" in a "traditional working class seat." That candidate, Joan Howarth has since issued a retraction but remains on the ballot for the May 4th local elections.

Councillor Marie Milne has been a Conservative Councillor for 17 years. Norman Lamb MP, Sir Menzies Campbell's Chief of Staff, said "It is ridiculous for David Cameron to attack the UKIP as being closet racists one minute, but to fail to tackle extremism in his own party the next. If the Conservatives are remotely serious about changing and modernising, they should not be endorsing Joan Howarth's candidacy in the upcoming local elections. An extracted retraction of her offensive remarks is simply not good enough."

Meanwhile in Plymouth City Council the Councillor for Devonport Ward, Bernard Brotherton, has left the Labour Party to join the Liberal Democrats. Commenting on his decision Councillor Brotherton said "I can no longer support the Labour Party, which is not delivering on its promises to the people of this country. I have looked carefully at the Liberal Democrats, and believe they have the best policies. They are clearly the most environmentally friendly and are the only party campaigning for fairer taxation."

Bernard Brotherton, who has been a member of the Labour party for 17 years and was elected to Plymouth City Council in 2003, went on to say "This is not a decision I have taken lightly. I have become deeply uneasy with this increasingly authoritarian Labour Government, who constantly place their desire for power ahead of the good of the country."