Half of Stoke South Tories resign!

8.45.58am GMT Wed 28th Mar 2007

Half of the Conservatives in Stoke-on-Trent South have resigned from the party in a bitter row with former political allies.The split involves allegations of mismanagement of city council funds. Authority managers, the police and the Standards Board for England have been asked to launch inquiries.

A dispute between the three councillors forming the Conservative Group on the city council and the Tory councillors in the Conservative and Independent Alliance came to a head this week. Now 17 party members in Stoke-on-Trent South - about half the membership - have resigned from the party. Conservative Central Office has been trying to broker a deal between the factions but the 14 other party members resigned earlier this week.