Independent councillors could be the official opposition to Lib Dem led Kingston Council after a Conservative councillor has had the whip removed. 

Cllr Jamal Chohan had the Conservative whip removed (yesterday) and announced his resignation (today) from the Party despite not being a member since 2020. 

The news follows the fallout after an email 'threatening' to publish the names of councillors who did not sign an open letter for a ceasefire.  

A spokesperson from Conservative HQ said: "Mr Chohan has not been a Party member since 2020." 

Cllr Chohan was elected in 2022, standing as a Conservative councillor despite not being a party member, defeating Conservative candidate Ben Mallett by just 14 votes. 

For additional clarification, a council spokesperson said: "Candidates for election to the Council must demonstrate that they are authorised to represent the political party they are standing for, but there is no legal requirement for them to be a member of that party - this is a matter for the party to decide. "

On Kingston Council's website, Cllr Chohan was listed as a Conservative, as well as Deputy Leader of the Opposition. 

Kingston Council now consists of 43 Liberal Democrat councillors, three Independent, two Conservative, and zero Labour. 

The Conservative spokesperson added: "[Mr Chohan] was told he was no longer a member of the Group at 17:00 yesterday and that he would need to apologise for his perceived threatening language if he wanted to be readmitted." 

Cllr Rowena Bass reportedly sent an email to Cllr Chohan at 5:03pm yesterday informing him the Conservative whip was removed., 

At 2:07am this morning, Cllr Chohan's resignation letter was reportedly emailed in. 

Kingston Council has said in a statement yesterday: "We are currently looking into the details surrounding this matter and are unable to provide any further comment at this stage." 

Nub News has contacted for any updated response.