A WAR of words between Tory MPs over Dorset’s proposed council mergers has intensified after Christchurch’s Chris Chope was accused of walking out early of a meeting with a minister.

The county’s MPs were holding a private meeting with local government secretary Sajid Javid when Mr Chope left to speak in the House of Commons on the New Southgate Cemetery Bill.

The row follows heated exchanges in the Commons earlier this month, when Mr Chope secured a short debate on the proposed local government shake-up.

On that occasion, he refused to allow North Dorset MP Simon Hoare to speak.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said he was “surprised” that Mr Chope did not stay to the end of the meeting with Mr Javid.

He said: “The rest of the Dorset MPs stayed in their seats to discuss local government in Dorset, not to debate cemeteries in London.”

Mr Chope said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” that details of the meeting had been revealed and said it had been overrunning.

“The issue relating to cemeteries affects more than just London because it affects the re-use of cemetery land," he said.

“I’m absolutely beside myself that anybody should want to score points off that.”

He added: “I’ve never been one who speaks ad hominem but some of my colleagues don’t seem to respect the right of a member of parliament to represent the best interests of his constituents. There’s a danger that the culture of bullying is entering into the House of Commons.”

Six Dorset MPs recently signed a letter backing proposals to merge Dorset’s nine main councils into two. But Mr Chope said his colleagues were “ignorant about the true nature” of plans for one powerful council covering Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

Simon Hoare insisted the meeting with Mr Javid had not been overrunning.

He said: “I think a number of us looked a little askance at each other as, I think, did the secretary of state. Given the fact that he was the only dissenting voice at the time, to go and speak on something that didn’t affect his constituents suggests slightly perverted priorities.”

He added: “I think all of us were pretty furious to have been called ignorant. That’s the height of bad manners.”

He said councils faced severe funding problems if they did not modernise. “The Luddites, the no changers, seem to be seeing the most important thing as to keep X-hundred councillors across the whole county and that somebody in Christchurch can put on a tri-corner had and wander around the town looking grand.”