A FAILED Worcestershire parliamentary candidate has dumped the Liberal Democrats and defected to the Conservatives, it has emerged.

Dennis Wharton, who lost out in a bid to defeat Tory Harriett Baldwin in West Worcestershire, has sparked bemusement by jumping ship just weeks after the General Election.

Your Worcester News can reveal how the 52-year-old says he was disgruntled with his former party long before May's poll - and admits that if he had become a county MP, he would "probably" have ditched the Lib Dems to become a Conservative in parliament.

The stance has bewildered rival parties, who have called it "utterly amazing" and say voters in the county were being conned.

Mr Wharton ran a campaign strongly criticising the Conservatives' record and as recently as May 7 and 8, on and after polling day, used social media to say the Tories would "starve services of cash", "won't keep the economy on the right track" and accused them of "ideological cuts".

But now he's switched sides, saying he has leaned towards the Conservatives for months and was privately disillusioned with Lib Dem policy, particularly on taxation and the Snoopers' Charter, long before May.

Other parliamentary hopefuls have accused him of degrading the West Worcestershire contest, where he finished in fourth place 25,097 votes behind the Tories.

Today, he said: "When you think about leaving a party it's a very big decision, not to be done in a rash way, and I certainly haven't done that.

“I know I was the PCC (parliamentary candidate) in West Worcestershire, everyone has issues with their own party, it’s healthy.

"But as time went by, over the last year I've been struggling with Lib Dem policies - I left it a good month after the election and balancing it up, there are more Conservatives ones that I do agree with."

He said the Tory moves to cut taxes for 'Middle England' was "brilliant", insisting it helps the economy, and added that Lib Dem opposition to the Snoopers' Charter, aimed at monitoring terrorists, was something he could not support.

"We live in a dangerous world, I just can't understand it - I'm not saying I agree with it all but I'd like to see a watered down version," he said.

“I am not saying my views are overwhelmingly Conservative, but at the end of the day you’ve got to compare and balance it up.”

He added that if he had won West Worcestershire, he would have "probably considered switching over" and defecting anyway.

“I think in hindsight, it was a long shot (winning the seat as a Lib Dem),” he said.

“It’s an interesting question, if it happened, I don’t know because I don’t have a crystal ball – but there’s a good chance I would probably have thought ‘am I happy being here’ (as a Lib Dem).

“I was unhappy with Lib Dem policies before the election – I would probably have considered switching over.”

Former parliamentary candidate Daniel Walton, who stood against him for Labour, said: "I am utterly amazed - we attended all seven hustings and every single time, he turned his attention to Harriett Baldwin and the Conservatives, saying all the good things from the Coalition have come from the Liberal Democrats and not from them.

"It's just incredible, people are fed up with this kind of thing.

“Dennis is a nice guy but this suggests his personal ambitions are above and beyond principles."

Neil Franks, who stood in neighbouring Mid-Worcestershire for the Green Party, accused him of "flip-flopping".

“You’ve got career politicians who flip-flop, those who will do anything for power,” he said.

Powick Lib Dem Councillor Tom Wells called it "extraordinary".

Mr Wharton has also sent your Worcester News a statement spelling his switch out in further detail, which says: "Switching parties is not an easy choice to make and is not uncommon.

"But what fuels that decision is to be part of a group where a party’s policies match as much as possible one’s own principles and beliefs.

"For me, that is now the Conservative Party.

"Joining the Conservatives was an inevitable decision because for me, they tick all the right boxes, offering a balance of policies that resonate with people from a variety of different backgrounds, and I believe in a balanced approach.

"I can no longer support the Lib Dems because for me, I feel they have got it wrong on too many policies.

"They concentrate far too much on welfare,  and little on policies that help build a stronger economy and support local businesses."

WHAT DENNIS WHARTON SAID DURING THE ELECTIONS

"The irresponsible actions of the Conservatives have left us at the mercy of profit-hungry developers." April 12, on house building policy

"Only the Lib Dems will create opportunity for everyone, and to do this I am campaigning to support Lib Dem national priorities in 2015 and beyond as mentioned in our manifesto.” April 4

"If (we get a) Tory majority, it means we will have massive cuts to our public and welfare services and an uncertain future for (the) NHS." May 8, on Twitter, as the results were coming in

"The Conservatives will starve services of cash for years to come in West Worcestershire.” May 4

"The Tories won't keep the economy on the right track." May 7

"Every Liberal Democrat MP makes Labour’s reckless borrowing and the Conservatives’ ideological cuts less likely." May 7

"Even when they have ended the deficit, they plan to continue cutting. In Coalition, the Conservatives were stopped from going down this reckless course." May 5