East Devon Conservative quits party: 'You can't defend the indefensible'

An East Devon councillor has quit the Conservative group to sit as an independent after growing tired with the party's stance on some issues.

Cllr Mike Howe (Independent, Clyst Valley) said he has been considering the move for a while, but a full council meeting on Wednesday (22 February) was the final straw.

Mr Howe sat on the opposite side of the room to his now former Tory colleagues, and vocally disagreed with them on a number of points.

"I've just had enough. I'm just worn out and last night's full council just pushed me over the edge," he said. "I thought I need to be a bit more distant and a bit more independent and do what I can for my ward and the district as a whole.

"And I feel the best place to be to do that is not in the Conservative Party locally.

"I think the party was wrong from start to finish last night, and it just gets to the point where you can't defend the indefensible."

While no longer a Conservative on council level, Cllr Howe still gives his full backing to East Devon MP Simon Jupp.

Conservative leader Cllr Philip Skinner (Tale Vale) respected Cllr Howe's decision to part ways with the group.

"Councillors obviously have their views on certain issues," he said. "And they've got to take the decisions they take on their own merit. It's just one of those things I guess, where people are in their lives, the views they have on different issues.

"We've just got to respect other peoples' viewpoints of people and decisions they make in life, and the consequences to the actions and the decisions that they make are their own."

Cllr Howe's decision comes less than three months before the next election in May.