Tory MP loses party whip

Mr Wardle accepted a job with Harrods boss Al Fayed

A Conservative MP has been kicked out of the Tory Party in the Commons for backing an independent candidate.

Former home office minister Charles Wardle, who is retiring at the general election, had the whip withdrawn after a report said he had declared his support for an independent Conservative to succeed him as MP for Bexhill and Battle.

You cannot be a Conservative and support a candidate from another party

Tory spokesman

The official Conservative candidate, Greg Barker, is expected to take the safe Sussex seat, won by Mr Wardle in 1997 with a majority of more than 11,000.

Mr Wardle, who announced he would be leaving parliament last year after accepting a £120,000-a-year job with Harrods boss Mohamed al-Fayed, described the decision to expel him as "vindictive and unjustified".

Exile

His apparent support for an independent candidate rather than the official Tory prompted a letter from the Conservative chief whip, effectively exiling him from the Parliamentary party.

James Arbuthnot told Mr Wardle his conduct was "in total conflict" with his continued receipt of the whip.

A party spokesman said: "You cannot be a Conservative and support a candidate from another party."

Mr Wardle has written back to Mr Arbuthnot saying: "Your action is vindictive and unjustified. I have not openly declared any such intention.

"Indeed, as you know perfectly well, my efforts for the past several months have been to avoid precisely such an eventuality."

Inaccurate article

Mr Arbuthnot told the MP he was relying on a newspaper article to substantiate his charge.

Mr Wardle insisted on Thursday that the article was inaccurate.

Mr Wardle is the second MP to lose the whip under the leadership of William Hague.

In October 1997, the whip was withdrawn from Peter Temple-Morris, who was preparing to switch sides and join Labour.

Mr Townend: Attacked 'Commonwealth' immigration

Earlier this month Mr Hague declined to act on calls for him to throw another retiring MP out of the party.

John Townend made a speech about "Commonwealth immigration", which many commentators described as racist.

The Tory leader condemned the remarks as "totally unacceptable" but failed to take any other action.

A spokesman said at the time that Mr Hague's rebuke was sufficient because Mr Townend was standing down at the election.