A FORMER Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate who has defected to the Conservatives has been branded a "dabbler" by his former colleagues.

Nigel Boddy, 48, said his decision to switch his allegiance to the Conservatives was fuelled by the "leadership problems and internal wrangling" within the Lib Dems.

Mr Boddy, a Darlington solicitor, ran against Peter Mandelson in his Hartlepool constituency in 2001 and also stood for the European Parliament in 2003.

However, his former colleagues have said the local party will not be affected by his desertion.

Mr Boddy said: "I think the Lib Dems have genuine internal problems over their leadership.

"I get the impression that certain members are motivated by their own personal ambitions, rather than a desire to bring about changes for the better of the country."

Mr Boddy said he was impressed with Conservative policies, particularly in relation to health and education.

He said: "The Conservatives have come a long way in recent years and are making the running on issues like education and health.

"I want to be a part of that and work with people who genuinely want to see positive changes to the way the country is run."

He was welcomed by Tory party leader David Cameron and deputy chairman Michael Bates, during Mr Cameron's recent visit to the region.

Mr Bates said: "The fact that a high-profile parliamentary candidate like Nigel Boddy has joined the party shows how far we have come recently.

"Nigel is a well-respected figure in North-East politics, and is very welcome to join our party, which is dedicated to taking the region forward."

Last night, Peter Freitag, the president of Northern Region Liberal Democrats, said Mr Boddy would not be missed.

He said: "He's always been a bit of a dilettante (dabbler).

"He's an interesting bloke, but has never settled at anything, anywhere, at any time, including politics.

"He put himself forward for parliament, because he thought that was the shortest step to fame, but he put himself forward for several different selections he hasn't got.

"He's a nice bloke and I like to speak to him, but we won't miss him at all.

"There are other people in the party who would take people with them if they left, but not him."