UKIP’s Dudley group leader has ruled out the possibility of doing a deal with Labour should the local election leave the council under no overall control after May 5.

Councillor Paul Brothwood, the purple party’s group leader on Dudley Council, says as long as he is heading up the borough group – UKIP will definitely not be forming a coalition with the Labour Party should there be a scrabble for power on May 6.

He told the News: “Under my leadership, if my group chooses me again, under no circumstances will we do a deal with Labour. I think they’re a vile organisation that’s anti-Semitic and they should go to the dustbin of history.

“A motion put forward by a Dudley Labour councillor to ban products from Israel was anti-Semitic, a Labour MP said vile things about Israel and the Jewish community, and there's an ex-Nazi who is now a councillor for the Labour Party.

“I could never do a deal with a party that does business like that. I despise the Labour Party.”

Leader of Labour-controlled Dudley Council, Councillor Pete Lowe, couldn't be reached for comment before this article was published but Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP has insisted "Labour is an anti-racist party to its core and has a long history of standing against racism including anti-Semitism."

Following accusations that former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Naz Shah MP made anti-Semitic comments - the party has proposed a new code of conduct to make it clear Labour will not tolerate racism including anti-Semitism and Mr Corbyn added: "The Jewish community has been at the heart of the Labour party and progressive politics in Britain for more than a hundred years."

Meanwhile - Dudley Conservative leader Councillor Patrick Harley has echoed Cllr Brothwood's concerns about anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, saying: "I think the people of Dudley have got far more common sense than to put their faith in Jeremy Corbyn and candidates in an anti-Semitic party."

But he refused to be drawn on whether, if there is a situation of no overall control in Dudley, the borough's Tory group would unite with UKIP to run the authority.

He said: "We're not interested in even surmising what deals may or may not be done. We're going for a majority and as many seats as possible. It will be very hard but our candidates across the board are working extremely hard and I expect them to work until the 11th hour and 59th minute.

He said the party needs to win 11 seats for a majority and he added: "It's silly to talk about deals, there's everything to play for."

Likewise Cllr Brothwood wouldn't commit to whether he would be prepared to team up with the Tories. He told the News: "I'd have to see what their vision is for Dudley."