Conservatives Blamed by leading Conservative Councillor for by-election defeat

From the Windsor Observer:

A LEADING Conservative councillor has accused his party leadership of costing his party victory in a by-election.

Leader of the Royal Borough, Cllr David Burbage, made the remarks following a narrow win for Liberal Democrat Cllr Simon Werner in the Pinkneys Green by-election held on Thursday last week.

Cllr Werner beat Conservative candidate Catherine Hollingsworth to the seat by eight votes- 839 to 831 - with UKIP candidate George Chamberlaine finishing third with 152 votes.

Cllr Burbage said: "It is unfortunate that, largely thanks to the party leadership, many of the residents of Pinkneys Green decided that they'd rather vote UKIP. The last thing that people who voted UKIP would have wanted would be to vote for a party that's turned its back on them and chosen to be a fag paper's width away from the rest."