An ousted Tory councillor has crossed the floor to become a Liberal Democrat.
Aylestone councillor Nigel Porter will fight to keep his seat at May's local elections as a Liberal Democrat after being deselected by the Conservatives.
He was kicked out of the party following claims he broke data protection laws by passing on a city council database to party members and the media.
Coun Porter strenuously denied he had broken any laws and insisted that the document – which listed all city council spending transactions – was not covered by the laws.
He claimed that he was forced out because of personality clashes with other members of the party, including group leader Ross Grant.
Coun Porter said: "I am the victim of a massive miscarriage of justice. The Conservative party in Leicester wanted me out and, in my view, has twisted the rules to get me out.
"The group is split and has become a rabble. But I've been a committed ward councillor for years and I want to continue that.
"As you can see from the coalition Government we currently have, there is a significant policy overlap between the Lib Dems and Conservatives.
"I have now become a member of the Lib Dems and will fight hard to retain my seat at May's election. I believe I can win and continue the good work I've done in Aylestone."
Councillor Grant insisted that the deselection was inevitable due to wider issues.
He said: "It's unfortunate but the group took the decision to deselect Nigel Porter because we believe he failed to live up to the standards expected of a Conservative councillor.
"His recent actions brought the issue to a head.
"We simply couldn't allow him to continue as a member of the council's Conservative group.
"It is up to the Lib Dems to decide what standards they expect from their council candidates."
At Thursday night's full council meeting, Coun Porter launched a scathing attack on his former group, branding them a "rabble" and saying that Coun Grant would not win the mayoral election, for which he is Tory candidate.
It received a standing ovation from many Labour councillors, including the full council cabinet.
Lib Dem councillor Parmjit Gill said: "I welcome Nigel to the party and look forward to working with him in the future."
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