REBEL MP Peter Thurnham met with his new Liberal Democrat colleagues in Bolton to hammer out any differences.

The MP wore a neutral grey tie for the head to head with Bolton's Liberal Democrat councillors at the town hall.

And leader Cllr Barbara Ronson admitted the group had a few questions to put to the Bolton North East MP in private.

She said: "There are a few things we have to sort out for future reference but you cannot settle the world in a day."

Both tried to play down any differences but education issues are bound to be one of the main areas.

Mr Thurnham is a passionate supporter of opt out schools and called it "sour grapes" when Bolton education chiefs complained about the extra money going into the grant maintained sector.

Cllr Ronson described the same additional cash grants as "bribery". Mr Thurnham denied betraying his voters claiming many of those who gave him his wafer thin majority would have been Liberal Democrats voting tactically to avoid a Labour victory.

"My duty is to represent all the people of Bolton North East not just those who voted for me," he said. "Without the support of Liberal Democrats I doubt if I would have been elected anyway."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.