EXTREME’ political views will lead to “a lot of arguing and shouting and not a lot of agreement” according to a former Tory group leader.

Hangleton and Knoll councillor Tony Janio also said that the appointment of Nancy Yates as Labour group leader had been known about for some time.

He said: “I have been calling Dan Yates the caretaker leader for the last year.

“Everybody has known since she was elected that Nancy Platts is the chosen one, and she has obviously got the support of Momentum.”

But he raised concerns about Labour and the Greens’ ability to tackle major issues.

Cllr Janio said: “I think Labour are quite split. In some ways I have a bit of sympathy for her (Ms Platts), she is trying to push her manifesto and block ideas but if almost half of the Labour group don’t agree with it then how can she go forward?

“The Greens don’t whip their party so anything could happen, and often does.

“The city could end up with a council it didn’t expect to get if Labour starts infighting and the Greens break apart, then they will let people down.”

He added that “with the turmoil in the two parties it’s going to be hard to agree on anything”.

Cllr Janio also said that the borders between political parties have become blurred. He said: “The Labour Party group goes from extreme left to councillors who would be happy in the Conservatives.

“With the Greens as well, some are eco-warriors and others would find happiness with Momentum.

“The core values in a lot of the parties are changing, Brexit has shaken them all up. Now we will have to see what the fall out is.”

He said this could be dangerous as more people adopt extreme views.

Cllr Janio said: “It’s like Newton’s third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I call myself a red or liberal Tory. But, as people drift away from the centre they drift to the extremes, both the far left and the far right. This leads to a lot of arguing and shouting and not a lot of agreement.

“Both extremes will put pressure on the council, which then might not do the right thing.”

Cllr Janio claimed it was likely that local government would not be what many new party members expected.

He said: “I think the extremes of Labour and Greens will be disappointed that they can’t change the world. People are always asking councillors ‘why have you not done this’ or say ‘you should be doing this’. With the constraints of local government you find you can’t change everything.

“You have to change the small things that make a difference to your constituents. More extreme party members will have to manage their expectations, thinking they can turn us into a hotbed of revolution. But hopefully there are enough sensible people to stop that from happening.”

He added Brexit had “suspended reality” and that, once it was resolved the “real word would continue”.