Its chaos in the West Midlands as Tory party authority falls apart. Influential local Tory and leader of Walsall Council, Mike Bird, was suspended yesterday amid allegations of racism and anti-Asian bullying (of which he has been cleared). Guido hears CCHQ sat on complaints for over a year before taking action…

Bird was suspended along with anti-Wendy Morton campaigner Suky Samra – though he knew it was coming. At an AGM last night Bird executed a putsch and took his entire Tory cabinet with him to form a separate “Conservative and Independent” group. Only a few actual Tory councillors remain…

The Tories, then, have lost the council. The party let a wrong-un back to preserve control just last week – will they do it again?

UPDATE:

Bird gets in touch to say that the Tories haven’t exactly lost control of the council, the Conservative councillors have just joined him (as an Independent leader) in his new group. What will the party think of that?