It must have taken a lot of courage and thought on the part of Councillor Graham Whitham to resign from the local Conservative Party.

As a former Conservative councillor myself who also defected from them in 2007, I would like to place on record my thanks for the work that Coun Whitham did for the party over the years, something notably not granted to him by his former party on the night.

How undemocratic a once great party that spawned Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher among its leaders has now become.

Totally intolerant of anyone with differing views within it and ready at the drop of a hat to take any defection or different opinion as a personal slur.

It was also totally wrong to suggest that Coun Whitham, when leader, presided over a heavy defeat for the Conservative group.

The accolade for the collapse in the vote locally went to another former councillor, at the 2010 elections, not Coun Whitham.

It now looks to me as though supporting the Tories is akin to blind faith for a dying entity.

They have not won a general election for almost 25 years and a local one for almost 30.

Maybe Theresa May was right after all.

DAVID PICKLES

Ex-councillor for Belmont Ward