Tories lose control of Barnet council weeks before local elections have even begun

Exclusive: Councillor Sury Khatri stepped down after he was deselected by the Conservative party

A polling station in the borough Barnet (Getty)

The Conservative party has lost control of Barnet council after a councillor resigned from the whip ahead of next month’s local elections in which the party is facing a wipeout in London, The Independent can reveal.

Councillor Sury Khatri stepped down after he was deselected by the Tories despite having spent eight years serving in Barnet. He will continue on as an independent until 3 May.

The 2014 election left Barnet on a knife edge with 32 Tory seats, 30 Labour, and 1 Liberal Democrat meaning Cllr Khatir’s resignation changes the composition of the council altogether.

He had applied to stand in the upcoming local elections and in what he described “unacceptable” treatment was told by the party they would not be accepting his application.

“I have been treated despicably. After eight years of service to be treated in this manner is unacceptable. As far as I understand there has not been single complaint about the manner in which I have helped the local community,” Cllr Khatri told The Independent.

Two other Tory councillors, Joan Scannell and Maureen Braun, have also been deselected. In a joint statement they said they were “devastated”.

Labour had already highlighted Barnet as one of its top targets in next month’s elections after polls suggested that the Tories are on course to lose at least three flagship councils.

Along with Barnet, Wandsworth and Westminster are also under threat. The Tory party chairman, Brandon Lewis, said retaining seats in London would be “challenging”.

“These are really difficult elections for us. If you look at the electoral cycle, this is the point of the cycle that’s always difficult,” Mr Lewis told The House magazine.

“The last time these [councils] were up in 2014, if you look at the numbers, Labour did very well. And obviously London is up and London is a very challenging dynamic for us. We’ve got work to do in London and elsewhere.”