THE ousted chairman of a police authority has blamed internal party politics after she was suspended by Labour chiefs.

Anne Wright, who headed Durham Police Authority for four years, and her vice-chairman, fellow Labour Durham County councillor Joe Knox, were replaced at an authority meeting yesterday.

The regional party issued both councillors administrative suspensions because they had not resigned after the county council Labour group put forward two other people for the posts.

The pair, both long-serving, can continue as councillors, but cannot officially represent the Labour Party until an investigation by party officials is completed.

Labour has a majority on the authority, which has Durham and Darlington councillors of other parties, magistrates and independent members.

The Durham County Council Labour group had decided at its annual meeting to put up councillors Jim Cordon (Pelton) and John Priestley (Evenwood) as candidates to replace the pair.

But, in an ironic twist, the authority voted instead for magistrate and recently-elected Labour Durham City councillor Peter Thompson as chairman and independent member Elsie Davies as vice-chairman.

Afterwards, councillors Wright and Knox said that they had not resigned from their posts.

"I have not resigned. I have not put it in writing,'' said Coun Knox, member for Chester-le-Street North-East.

Coun Wright, member for nearby Sacriston, said she had expected to serve from 2005 to 2009 but "obviously, in that time there has been a change in the leadership of the county council.

"If you don't agree with the current leadership you get wiped away to one side.''

She said she was now considering her position as a Labour Party member.

A spokesman for the regional party said the pair should have formally resigned their positions after their colleagues in group voted to put up new candidates.

"The Labour group agreed it was time for a change of representation on the authority. Clearly, they didn't accept the democratic vote by the group, and have been given administrative suspensions from representing the Labour Party at any level until the matter is sorted out.''