The Government's wafer-thin majority frightened prime minister Theresa May away from approving plans to create two new unitary authorities in Dorset, The MJ has been told.

It is believed Mrs May – concerned to keep her backbenchers on side before she called a General Election – was aware that local Conservative MP Christopher Chope had repeatedly criticised the ‘incredibly weak' case for abolishing Christchurch BC and East Dorset DC.