LIVERPOOL Council leader Warren Bradley was last night facing a rebellion from within his own benches over his continued support for convicted councillor Steve Hurst.

Members privately say they are deeply troubled that the local party rules – which appear to forbid anyone convicted under the Representation of the People Act to seek nomination – could be disregarded in order to let Cllr Hurst stand again.

Wavertree Cllr Hurst was last year convicted of breaking election law under the Act after being caught distributing leaflets smearing a Labour rival and her husband.

The judge said at the end of an appeal that Cllr Hurst had been responsible for “dirty tactics of the worst kind”, but city leader Cllr Bradley has stuck by him throughout, to the dismay of some members.

Now, ahead of a Labour motion on July 8 calling on Cllr Hurst to resign from his seat, several senior Lib-Dem sources say there is a strong chance some will abstain from voting to avoid being whipped into supporting Cllr Hurst.

The issue is gaining importance as the Lib-Dems currently have a wafer-thin majority of one, and just a couple of defections could see the party lose power in Liver-pool for the first time in 11 years.

Cllr Hurst’s term of office comes to an end next year in the safe Wavertree seat.

Some party colleagues fear the ongoing scandal could affect their chances of re-election.

The Daily Post has obtained a copy of a candidate application form sent out ahead of the selection of candidates for the 2010 elections.

The form states that “people who have been guilty of corrupt or illegal practices under the Representation of the People Act are disqualified from being a candidate”.

A spokesman from the party’s national office said: “Cllr Hurst declared his conviction to his local party in line with their standard approval procedures and has been re-approved for selection by his local party.”