A member of Lichfield District Council has confirmed his resignation from the Conservatives over the “embarrassment” caused by the party nationally.
Cllr Alastair Little had previously questioned Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant’s decision to support Boris Johnson in the wake of the controversy surrounding the lockdown gathering at Downing Street.
The Hammerwich with Wall representative said he could not continue to stand under the Conservative banner given the various lockdown breaches being reported in the national media.
In an email to members of the party at Lichfield District Council, Cllr Little said:
“After many months of rolling stories of breaches of Covid rules if not laws by the national Conservative party I can no longer remain a member of this embarrassment show.
“From breaches of rules in Conservative central office, trips to castles by senior advisors , laughing press officers, extra marital affairs in Government departments and now a garden party at Number 10, the sacrifices the country made have been merely mocked behind the scenes.
“My feelings have grown to this point following being one of the many whom have lost a parent during this pandemic – not to Covid – and the emotions that she barely met her only grandchild, has made my mind that we are not in a situation where the laws apply to all.”
Cllr Alastair Little, Lichfield District Council
“A fawning backbench embarrassment”
Cllr Little has been a member of the Conservatives for more than 20 years and will see him sit as an independent member on Lichfield District Council.
He said he was disappointed to resign, but felt the actions of senior Tory politicians had forced him to act.
“I reluctantly write this as locally some – not all – of what we are doing at Lichfield District Council – is certainly benefiting Lichfield.
“Our MP has however has been a fawning backbench embarrassment.
“I look forward to the enquiry being complete but this will merely a document putting in writing what many in power already know – and Michael Fabricant knows this is the case.
“It is disappointing but necessary I make this move outside the Conservative party.
Cllr Alastair Little, Lichfield District Council
I would like to add, however, this is a decision made on national issues and leader Cllr Doug Pullen will still have my support.”
I think there are many people who can relate to Cllr Little’s frustration that rule makers seem to think themselves about the very rules the rest of us had to abide by. I look forward to welcoming Alastair to the independent seats in the council chamber.
A good Councillor with a backbone who will flourish as an Independent just as at least 2 other Councillors are doing. Thank you for your truly appreciated honesty
Well, with Mr Loughbrough-Rudd also resigning the Conservative whip today, we seem to have tripled the number of independents on the District Council in just 24 hours.
I stress I’m not comparing Mr Little’s decision to resign from the Conservative Party over a point of principle to Mr Loughbrough-Rudd’s more … problematic resignation. I applaud Mr Little’s actions here; Mr Loughbrough-Rudd’s not at all. But it does rather suggest that all’s not well with our local Conservative Party if they can lose two councillors in 24 hours.
Bravo. This is the sort of principled stand that should be applauded. I only wish that every politician would think the same way. It is by challenging this never-ending stream of nonsense that we can hopefully get some dignity and professionalism back within the ranks of local (and national) politics.
Cllr Little, I am sorry for your loss, but I am so grateful for your honesty. We are in a similar situation, losing a parent in lockdown and having to choose who could attend the funeral and who had to watch on Zoom. To say Mr Fabricants comments hurt goes nowhere near describing my actual feelings.
@Sahure – Cllr Loughborough-Rudd doesn’t sit at LDC. SCC and a couple of parish councils as far as I’m aware. It’ll be Alastair and me as independents at LDC, but there’s still time for others to join us.
I applaud Cllr Little’s decision. I’d like to know what “Conservative” now means – I’m certainly not convinced by the definition in the new Johnson dictionary.
This is what integrity looks like. The circumstances surrounding Cllr Little’s decision are very sad, but it is refreshing to see a member of our local Conservative Party being prepared to stand up for his principles.
Michael Fabricant take note!
Cllr. Little, Respect for your stance. Principled politics is something of a rarity these days. Personally I have always thought local representation is better served by those without the fetters of party politics. I am sure you will flourish in this regards and we will all benefit from your impartial deliberations.
We’ll done Cllr Little for being honest an attribute clearly lacking in our PM. I have asked Michael Fabricant if he would like to resign alongside Boris Johnson – any honest man would do this
Nic – Happy to help with Johnson’s definition of ‘Conservative.’
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
JK Galbraith.
@ Joanne Grange: You are of course correct. It’s a shame I can’t go back and correct that post, but my apologies to everyone for not paying attention over which council Mr Loughborough-Rudd sits on.
Well done. At last someone daring to make a stance and speak out against the hypocrisy and crass ignorance of a certain so-called ‘elite’ who think they are above the law and do not need to respect the rules – and pain- they are inflicting on others.
I hope more join Cllr Little.
I would be interested to know other members of Lichfield councils opinion on Fabricant, Johnson is your overall leader so I take it their silence is approval of this pair.
Cllr Little-congratulations on doing this.
I wish the other tories on the council would do what I’m sure they know is the right thing and follow you.
Maybe if they did & others also follow Sutton Coldfield’s lead and call for his resignation then the Tory party might just get it’s old self back.
I applaud this man, he has integrity, honesty & so much more which is so lacking in this present government.
A man who disagrees with the lies & sleaze which is commonplace with Johnson’s leadership, Fabricant should resign too.
Bravo Cllr Little, you have highlighted the true meaning of integrity. Your moral and professional compass is certainly pointing in the right direction (unlike Mr Fabricant), Keep up the good work, keep honouring good values
Don’t congratulate the odious man, all he’s done is leave the Tory party, he going to claim a wage as an independent now, the public will be paying his wage still he’s no here his the same as all MPs, full of their own self importance
It’s refreshing to see some people in politics with a sense of honour and decency.
If only Michael Fabricant was made of the same mettle. Sadly, he’s showing himself to be just as corrupt as Boris.
Having just seen the Sutton Coldfield Conservatives included councillors unanimously decided that they have no faith in Boris. Are Lichfield Conservatives and councillors (on LDC and SCC) going to do the same and state they have no faith in Boris and Fabricant? Hell will probably freeze over but can only hope others may follow.
Steve, with you all the way.
So, a bit like buses, you wait for ages for local Tories with integrity to come along, then two turn up at pretty much the same time! First, Alistair Little, leaving the Conservatives’ “embarrassment show”, then Richard Cox, criticising former Conservative County Councillor Thomas Loughborough-Rudd for having “no principles or integrity whatever “. Indeed, as others have said, Councillor Cox could also have been talking there about the Boris Johnson and Michael Fabricant. That aside, however, when are the other local Tories going to take a stand on both these issue? I hope they follow the lead of the Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association and call on Boris Johnson to resign – and, while they’re at it, Thomas Loughborough-Rudd to resign as a County Councillor!
I smell a rat. Having googled this man he certainly likes to get attention. I probably would have ignored this nagging thought, if I hadn’t later seen him ceasing yet another media opportunity, but now on the 10 o clock National news tonight.
If he has left the Cons party hasn’t he given up the opportunity to vote in the election of subsequent leaders of the party? If all likeminded members did that there would be no-one to influence change!
“hasn’t Alistair Little given up the opportunity to vote in the election of subsequent leaders of the party by resigning?”
Yes he has, but at least we now know that the publicity he’s sought is not part of a plan to replace Michael Fabricant as the next Conservative parliamentary candidate for Lichfield