A LEADERSHIP row drew parallels with Game of Thrones and soap operas during an unprecedented vote of no confidence.

Councillors filled the chamber on Monday night for the vote on whether Tory leader Tony Cox should step down as leader of the council after just four weeks.

Mayor John Lamb called the vote a “very serious situation” and said the council had never had a meeting like it before.

Councillors angrily argued about democracy, principles and trust, with many of the criticisms being levelled at members of Independent Group who had called for the no-confidence vote.

Councillor Stephen Aylen, who is not aligned with any political party, demanded Independent members resign for bringing “every independent councillor into disrepute”.

He said: “I am standing in this chamber where democracy has gone out the window. We had a decision on who would be leader, we already made that decision.”

Tory councillor Dan Nelson said: “My faith that every councillor in this room was meant to work towards the betterment of this town has been shattered by a number of individuals looking to create a dystopia of chaos in order to boost their own egos.”

He went on to accuse the Independents of seeing the council as “an episode of Game of Thrones”.

Tory Meg Davidson said the behaviour of some reminded her of scenes she had watched during tthe British Soap Awards.

Independent group leader Ron Woodley, claimed the then leader Tory Tony Cox was “a bully”, but Mr Cox questioned how that could be true when the Independents had previously asked to form an alliance with his party.

Other accusations thrown across the chamber included claims that some councillors were acting for financial gain, that others had thrown aside their principles aside and that many can no longer be trusted.

Leader Ian Gilbert said: “We all regret the particular circumstances that led us to this meeting but we have agreed to deliver what I genuinely believe is what people voted for.”