THE mayor of a North-East town has defected to UKIP after claiming his former party Labour is “neglecting voters".

Bishop Auckland councillor Colin Race announced his decision to switch before a meeting of Bishop Auckland Town Council.

Mr Race said he had always voted Labour, but now felt UKIP were the only party in British politics that supports hardworking families.

Cllr Race said: “Year-on-year it has become increasingly clear that Labour are neglecting voters and taking us all for granted.

“The Labour Party that I once knew – the party that stuck up for the working families, is no more.

“We have a cosy consensus of politicians in Westminster who spend more time patting each other on the back, than representing the people who pay their wages at the end of the month.

“Here in the North-East we have the highest rates of unemployment in the country, how are my kids meant to get a job when our political class support open door mass immigration from 27 other EU member states.”

At the meeting, Councillor Ann Golightly called for Cllr Race to step down.

"You entered under the Labour Party banner and should really resign and be re-elected," she said.

Town clerk David Anderson told members the switch had no bearing on Cllr Race's role on the council.

He said: "It is down to himself which party he represents or indeed no party."

UKIP’s North-East MEP, Jonathan Arnott, added: “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Mayor of Bishop Auckland, Cllr Race, to UKIP’s peoples’ army.

“Labour party members across our region are simply realising that the incredibly wealthy individuals who sit at the top of the Labour party don’t, and make no attempt to, work for hard-working, law-abiding citizens across the country.

“Only UKIP are offering a sensible, credible alternative to the Labour Party who have neglected the North-East for years.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “On the day Nigel Farage confirmed his plans to privatise the NHS, people in Bishop Auckland will rightly be questioning the decision of one of their town councillors.

“UKIP’s policies include another tax break for millionaires, higher taxes on working families, scrapping rights as at work and higher bankers’ bonuses.

“They can’t be described as a party who will stand up for working people.

"In reality, they are more Tory than the Tories.”