Coun Nugent said he felt like he had been "stitched up"

Five Labour councillors, including the former leader of Durham County Council, have been suspended from the party.

Former miner Albert Nugent was one of those caught up in the dispute over failing to have enough women candidates.

He was suspended on Friday and a new leader Simon Henig was voted in at a meeting at County Hall on Saturday.

Easington councillors Robert Crute, Audrey Laing, Alan Napier and Alice Naylor were also suspended.

However, the suspensions relate to the five's membership of the Labour party and they will remain as councillors.

Mr Nugent said he felt like he had been "stitched up".

The five were suspended by the Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) after it ordered that all areas should have a 50-50 split of male and female candidates for the local elections.

It later permitted the Easington party to field seven female candidates - four short of the original figure required.

But the Easington party only put up four and said not enough women had come forward.

An investigation into the party was postponed until after the elections and reached its conclusion on Friday when the councillors were suspended.

'Destroying party

A Labour spokesman said: "Following an initial investigation, the NEC has suspended Robert Crute, Audrey Laing, Alan Napier, Alice Naylor and Albert Nugent from holding office or representing Labour.

"It's important that these allegations are further investigated and the NEC investigation team will be continuing."

Mr Nugent said: "I feel like I've been stitched up - why could they not have waited until Monday after the leadership vote?

"I've been debarred from representing those who elected me. We are supposed to be positively discriminating for women yet the powers that be have suspended two women.

"We should be trying to bring the party together but we are destroying it."

Mr Henig, a Sunderland University lecturer, has been a Chester-le-Street District councillor since 1999 and deputy leader since 2003.

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