Cllr David Parsons, the former leader of Leicestershire CC, has resigned from the county's Conservative Group, a day before an extraordinary meeting to discuss a report into his conduct.

Speaking to The MJ this evening, his successor as group and council leader, Cllr Nick Rushton, confirmed Cllr Parsons had tendered his resignation from the group by email, barely an hour after receiving a copy of the internal party investigation into whether he broke party rules over European travel expenses.

According to Cllr Rushton, Parsons declared he had no intention of standing in next May's elections, and so would resign from the Conservative group with immediate effect.  However, Cllr Parsons, who could continue to serve as a councillor until the next elections, pledged he would continue to support Leicestershire's Conservatives at the next full Council meeting.

Despite the decision by Cllr Parsons to leave the group, pre-empting a possible suspension, the special meeting set for 7 November will proceed, Rushton added, to shape how political parties deal with future disciplinary breaches.  ‘We are ploughing a new furrow in standards, and as a principle we must carry on,' he said.

‘In normal circumstances I would have dealt with this as leader, but because Parsons was such a senior member, the matter was best dealt with by the group,' Rushton added.

A full report will be made available after tomorrow's meeting.  However, a Leicestershire source who has read the internal report deemed it ‘a catalogue of misconduct varying from indiscretion to questionable behaviour' which makes very mournful reading for erstwhile supporters of Cllr Parsons.

Cllr Parsons breached Leicestershire's code of conduct by delaying the repayment of thousands of pounds worth of EU-linked travel expenses paid directly into his personal bank account, and also faces scrutiny over his use of an authority-owned car.