AS political negotiations continue over who will control Wirral Council, a Liberal Democrat has dropped a bombshell on his group by defecting to Labour.

Councillor Steve Niblock, who represents Bromborough ward, formally joined Wirral’s Labour group last night.

Party leaders have been in talks after local elections on May 5 saw no single group gain enough seats to take overall control.

The current administration is a coalition formed last year between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

Councillor Niblock's defection has boosted Labour seats to 30; Tories have 27 and Lib Dems are reduced to single figures with just nine.

Councillor Niblock said he was "deeply unhapppy" when Wirral Lib Dems followed their Parliamentary colleagues and united with Conservatives.

He said: “Following the general election residents approached me as they were shocked Liberal Democrats had formed a coalition with the Tories.

"In the early days of the coalition I said I would give it a year to make my mind up and see how things panned out as I was also unhappy about the decision.

"I was also deeply unhappy about the local situation where the Lib Dem group then went into coalition with the Tories.

"I was the only Lib Dem councillor to vote against this."

He added: “The appalling desertion of liberal principles to the support of rabid Tory policies was just too much.

"On Wirral, all we have seen is the Tory-led council throwing up a pile of populist one-off gimmicks and shedding staff to the point where I feel we are not going to be able to provide all the services the people of Wirral need.

"Enough was enough. The year was up - and as I promised I, gave it a year."

Leader leader Cllr Steve Foulkes said: “We are very happy to welcome Cllr Steve Niblock.

"I know this has been a very difficult decision for Steve and that he has been struggling for some time with a Liberal Democrat party which he believed was part of the progressive left, and which has now changed into something very different which is alien to his beliefs and principles.

"If any other Liberal Democrat believes they have more in common with us than with their own party and its Tory coalition partners, I’d like to reassure them that the Labour Party is a broad church and they will be made very welcome if they too decide to come home to a progressive Left party more in keeping with their true beliefs."

Councillor Tom Harney, the new leader of Wirral Liberal Democrats elected by the group after their former chief Simon Holbrook lost his Prenton seat, said the defection came as a surprise to him.

He said: “It’s obviously a personal decision of his. He did not inform the group that he was doing it.

“We can understand that he was the only Lib Dem councillor in Bromborough, so perhaps didn’t have the support of fellow councillors.

“The group will meet on Tuesday and discuss this issue further.”

Councillor Foulkes said he hoped talks to resolve control of the authority would be concluded before annual council meets next Monday.

He believes Labour now has the whip hand as the largest group.

While inviting Lib Dems to form a coalition, he also said Labour would be happy to run a minority administration.

To do this, he would need to force through a vote of no confidence in the present coalition.