THE Conservatives in Sandwell are holding an emergency meeting tomorrow (Friday) to deal with Councillor Elaine Costigan defecting to Labour.

The Wood Green councillor made national headlines when she announced her defection to Labour on Saturday and blamed Michael Gove’s axing of the Building Schools for the Future projects.

However, the Tories are fighting back with Blackheath Councillor Mary Docker branding Cllr Costigan a ‘turncoat’.

Cllr Docker said: “We were amazed at her defection because only a few weeks before she was slating Labour Party policies.

“There were rumours but she didn’t even tell us about her defection, we just waited to see what developed and now we know she is a turncoat.

“She has expelled herself from the party and is automatically not a member anymore.”

“It must have been a very slow news day for her defection to be on the BBC News in the morning.”

And Cllr Docker said she believed the Tories would regain the seat.

She said: “She is up for election next year and is obviously hoping to ride on the discontent of BSF with voters. But we will be fighting to give the voters what they voted for in the first place - a Tory councillor.

“The way Sandwell Council have dealt with the whole BSF project has been complete waste of money and hopefully when the spending review is conducted money will go to local schools but not in the form of the wasteful BSF scheme.”

The Conservatives are holding an emergency meeting tomorrow where top of the agenda will be replacing Cllr Costigan as deputy leader of the party.