The three Conservative councillors in Kenton have been deselected as official candidates for the next council elections, it has been claimed.
According to Cllr John Warren, leader of the Brent Conservatives, Cllr Reg Colwill, Cllr Suresh Kansagra, and Cllr Michael Maurice have been told they will not be able to stand for their party at the council elections in 2018.
They are able to stand as independent candidates but could face expulsion from the Conservative Party if they do so.
Cllr Warren, who is one of three Tory councillors in Brondesbury Park, told the Times: “All three have been deselected.
“We are in the process of selecting new candidates for the Kenton ward.”
The deselection follows a feud between the Brondesbury Park and Kenton councillors which saw the rivals split into groups two weeks after the council elections in 2014.
The fallout occurred when Cllr Kansagra, Cllr Colwill and the late Cllr Patel gave themselves the positions of leader, deputy and chief whip of the group respectively.
Months of wrangling ensued between the two groups during which Cllr Patel died from a heart attack – Cllr Maurice took his place following a by-election.
When central office called an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May 2015 the Kenton councillors failed to attend and the Brondesbury Park councillors were made the new party opposition.
Cllr Warren became the leader, Cllr Shaw the deputy and Cllr Davidson was named as the chief whip.
Cllr Colwill and Cllr Kansagra refused to confirm or deny they had been deselected.
Cllr Colwill said: “We are not going to be bullied, not by Conservative officers, nor by Cllr Warren. The party cannot stop us from being a councillor. If they lose us they will lose seats. We have done nothing wrong.
“The party has done nothing to protect us. We did nothing to them. They (Brondesbury Park) left the party, we didn’t.
“The party will have to explain to the public and to the councillors exactly how they treated us and I’ll go from there and I’ll take my residents with me.”
Cllr Kansagra said: “We have made a complaint against officers.
“They are favouring the other group.
“We are innocent and we have been loyal agents for 18 years.
Cllr Maurice and the Conservative central office refused to comment.
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