Cllr Kevin Foster, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Coventry South, has called for an immediate General Election following increasing divisions within the Labour Party resulting in today's (6th January 2010) dramatic developments.

Former Cabinet Ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt have called for a secret ballot of Labour MPs on the future of Gordon Brown's leadership. Yet Kevin believes there is only one secret ballot that should be held on the future of Gordon Brown and it should involve all of Coventry's voters, not just the two Labour MPs who live in the City.

Cllr Gary Ridley, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Coventry North West, and Cllr Kevin Foster, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, have today slammed the reckless and ill informed remarks from a leading Labour Councillor that have caused unnecessary concern about the future of one of Coventry City Centre's key regeneration schemes.

In a press release issued to the media, the Labour member incorrectly claimed that an investor had pulled out of the prestigious Belgrade Plaza Development as part of a childish political attack on the City Council. This bizarre attempt at point scoring was done without any consultation with either the scheme's developer or the Council to ensure the claims being made were correct. The developer concerned has responded that they are "mystified" by the claims being made and said that other investors may be put off from coming to Coventry by this type of behaviour.

Darren Jones, who was until very recently the President of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has today thrown his support behind the Conservative campaign for the next General Election.

Darren, who is well known throughout the local business community, today joined Cllr Kevin Foster, Cllr Gary Ridley & Cllr Hazel Noonan, on the Council House steps to both pledge his support for their Parliamentary campaigns and to state that only this team can be trusted to do the business for our city in the next Parliament.

As President of the Chamber he was required to be politically neutral, however his time in that job has convinced him that it is time for change. Darren's remarks also follow the news that Ric Richards, former Chair of the Coventry Branch of the Federation of Small Business, will stand for the Conservative Party in next year's local elections.