Tories forget to enter local poll battle

The party had a clean sweep at the last poll in the Willerby and Kirk Ella ward in East Yorkshire with three councillors in place.

But a by-election was triggered when Conservative Kerry Hemming-Taylor retired and the party missed the deadline for nominating a candidate.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats will now fight a two-way battle for the seat.

A last-minute appeal to East Riding Council for a late nomination was rejected.

To add to their blushes, the ward is in the constituency of the party's former shadow Home Secretary, the Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis.

Labour candidate Josh Newlove said: "This either means they are so complacent that they have forgotten about representing the people they claim to really care about, or they are just plain disorganised."

Liberal Democrat candidate Fred Smith said: "There needs to be a stronger opposition to make sure local residents' views are not ignored."

Local Conservative Party chairman Helen Gilmour said the matter was in the hands of lawyers and had been referred to the Electoral Commission.