A row has broken out after a leading Labour councillor launched a scathing attack on two former colleagues for joining the Conservatives.
West Heywood councillors Jacqui Beswick and Alan McCarthy were last week confirmed as members of Rochdale Council’s Tory group.
The long-serving pair left Labour in 2019 to sit as independent and Brexit Party councillors respectively.
READ MORE: Two ex-Labour councillors -including former deputy leader - join Rochdale Tories
Coun Beswick had previously been deputy council leader before falling out with the party over its handling of ‘false allegations’ against her, while Coun McCarthy became disillusioned with Labour’s Brexit stance.
Then-Labour leader Coun Allen Brett said the duo ‘wouldn’t be missed’ after the pair defected.
And they have come under renewed attack from Labour’s Coun John Blundell following their recent decision to join the Conservative group.
The cabinet member for economy and communications said the pair owed their council seats to the Labour party and called on them to trigger a by-election by standing down.
He said: "It's sad that Alan McCarthy and Jacqui Beswick have used the Labour brand to get themselves elected a few times - and their commitment to the public to have Labour party values.
"Surely instead of keeping switching parties they should - now finally settled - give the public the chance to vote if they want two Conservative party councillors.”
He also took a swipe at the wider Tory group - which last year also welcomed former Labour councillor Coun Kath Nickson - albeit via the Lib Dems, Brexit Party and a stint as an independent.
Coun Blundell added: “In addition it's a sad state of affairs that the Conservative Party in the borough of Rochdale for the past 10 years has only been able to expand by taking our rejects and people who, for whatever reason, have left the Labour party because they feel politically lost."
However Ashley Dearnley, leader of Rochdale council’s Conservative group, has hit back at the Labour chief - and defended his new members.
“If they were to hold by-elections it would be the first time in recent history,” he said.
“People have always changed parties and not held by-elections, there’s nothing new there, that’s general practice.
And he told Coun Blundell to take a look closer to home before lashing out at the Tories.
“My view would be that he probably needs to look at the problems within the Labour party as to why people are leaving Labour and joining the Conservatives.
“It’s certainly not a problem with the Conservatives. The problem is within Labour both nationally and locally.”
Coun Beswick ran for party leader after Richard Farnell stood down as group leader in 2017, but lost out to Coun Brett.
Relations between Coun Beswick and Rochdale's Labour group were further soured last year when she was called ‘a b***h’ during a virtual full council meeting.
Mics picked up the comment during a You Tube broadcast.
Labour councillor Sue Emmott apologised for the 'derogatory comment' at a full council meeting in December last year. Coun Beswick has accepted the apology.
She declined to respond to Coun Blundell’s comments when contacted by The Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Coun McCarthy did not reply to a request for comment.
