THE Conservatives have launched a stinging attack on crime boss David Keane after he was initially in charge of Labour's election campaign in Warrington South.

Conservatives in Cheshire have accused Cllr Keane of 'short changing the public' after he initially took on the job as campaign manager to win the Warrington South seat back from Tory David Mowat.

They say he cannot combine both posts.

However Labour say he only took on the role in the short term and Cllr Rebecca Knowles has taken over as campaign manager now that Cllr Faisal Rashid has been selected as the candidate in Warrington South.

A Conservative party statement says: "This latest announcement is further evidence that Mr Keane is putting his personal and political priorities way ahead of his obligations to the public that underpin his role as Cheshire PCC.

"We have for some time now been urging him to step up to his duties as full time PCC and step down from his councillor role at Warrington and Penketh parish.

"His existing roles bring him into potential conflicts of interest already and take away from meeting the public he claims to represent."

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “David has volunteered as a Labour campaigner for many years and currently holds a campaigning role in his local party.

"Securing a Labour victory in the general election is vital to ensure the future viability of our police services and take our budgets out of the hands of ruthless Tories.

"David is fully committed to his job as police and crime commissioner, which is a role that he was elected to as the Labour candidate, and will continue to work hard for the people of Cheshire in the coming weeks.”

It is the latest attack on Cllr Keane after he came under fire for hiring Sareda Dirir last month as deputy police and crime commissioner.