Nottingham's local Conservative group is said to be "in a mess" over a row which has caused its city council leader to stand down. The Conservative Party currently has just two members at Nottingham City Council but as it stands, neither of them will be on the ballot paper at the local elections in May.
One of the councillors, Roger Steel, has not been chosen again by the local party as a candidate in a move which he says has left him "hung out to dry." Andrew Rule, the Conservative Group leader at Nottingham City Council, has announced he will not be standing in the upcoming elections in protest at Roger Steel's treatment by the party.
The issue began last September, when the Nottingham City Conservative Federation held a Zoom meeting to begin the process of selecting their candidates for this year's elections. When it came to the question of having Roger Steel as a Conservative candidate again in the Clifton West ward, four people voted in favour but one person voted to defer this decision.
