LIVERPOOL’S Liberal Democrat leader Warren Bradley has warned his party faces being wiped out by Labour in the North, due to its coalition with the Tories.

He told the Daily Post he fears the party could be completely eradicated within five years.

Cllr Bradley said a number of the 37 Lib-Dems on the city council were among thousands now considering their membership of the party.

He spoke out after the coalition pulled the plug on Building Schools for the Future, which would have delivered 26 new secondary schools in Liverpool.

Cllr Bradley said: “It’s ridiculous, the plans for BSF were so far advanced and it’s unforgivable that other funding options are not in place. I honestly felt physically sick.”

He said being in coalition with the Conservatives should not mean toeing the line with everything they bring forward.

“I think the national party have got to wake up and listen to the people on the ground that are hearing the complaints from core voters.

“Being in coalition should be a two- way street. There are times when Clegg has got to say to Cameron ‘no more’.

“I think BSF is the straw that has broken the camel’s back.”

He said the party could debate whether raising VAT was the right thing to do, but that BSF was a step too far.

“You do not fill a hole at the expense of the young people of this country.”

When asked if he was considering his own future in the Lib-Dems, he said: “Not at this moment in time. When you are a member of a club and there is something that upsets you, you don’t just leave, you work to change it.

“I will continue to work to change the Lib-Dem part of the coalition to make sure there is social justice. At the moment, I am seeing very little of it.”

Cllr Bradley spoke after a leaked email from him to fellow city Lib-Dem Richard Kemp revealed a stark divide between the two senior members about the coalition’s decision.

Cllr Bradley wrote: “It would be absolute folly if we were to ignore the impact of such a ridiculous decision, by Michael Gove, whether or not we are in coalition.

“Not only would it show how shallow we are, either in control or opposition, (it’s [not] just simply about justifying our existence), we would be letting this and future generations of young people down.