Corby Conservatives expel councillor for defying London

Corby Conservatives have expelled one of their councillors from the Conservative group on the borough council for defying an order from London to vote against fire service cuts.

Cllr Stan Heggs chose to vote in favour of replacing a fire engine with a smaller Cobra appliance when he had been instructed to vote against it. The Conservatives - like Labour and the Lib Dems - have a whipping system that means even town and parish councillors are told how to vote by their party's head office in London and by the whips in their own constituency association. Cllr Heggs has defied orders to vote against any perceived cuts in emergency services after being forced to sign a "blue light promise" along with every other Conservative who wants to stand for election anywhere in the country.

UKIP has no whipping system and all elected UKIP representatives at any level are encouraged to vote according to their conscience and what is right for the people they represent rather than what the party thinks they should do.