London - A Tory Euro-MP suspended from the Conservative group in the European Parliament yesterday claimed the party was in the grip of an "intolerant right-wing faction".
The Tory leadership said Mr Bill Newton Dunn, MEP for the East Midlands region, had the whip withdrawn for persistently defying instructions and voting against the party line.
However, Mr Newton Dunn, a strong supporter of the single currency, claimed he was being punished for his long record of criticising senior figures over the party's policy on Europe.