A LABOUR stalwart has announced his intentions to stand as an independent candidate at the forthcoming Bolton Council elections with a scathing attack on his party.

Cllr Laurie Williamson, currently suspended from the council, has circulated a leaflet to residents in the Harper Green ward where he has been a councillor since 1979.

In it, he sets out a battle to expose the “party within a party” tactics of the Bolton South East Labour Party and accuses the leadership of a “dirty tricks” campaign to have him de-selected as a candidate last year. He claims they have shown a lack of respect for the people of Harper Green by axing him.

Cllr Williamson said: “I cannot carry on with the current leadership. Doing the right thing for the right reason has to be at the very core of our principles and I don’t believe that the leadership has that.

“I have quite a bit of support, from Labour Party members as well as residents, so I think I have a good chance. You can never tell how it will go, but I think people are a lot more sceptical of the major parties this year.”

Cllr Williamson was suspended by the Labour Party last year after launching a broadside at the party leadership in The Bolton News.

During his suspension, he was de-selected from the Harper Green seat and Bolton South East party chairman Mike Francis selected in his place.

Cllr Williamson is presently serving a four-month suspension from the council after being found guilty by the independent Standards Board of breaching the code of conduct during a heated email exchange with a resident.

Labour council leader Cllr Cliff Morris refused to comment about Cllr Williamson's leaflet.