Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen left the Reclaim Party after a spat over a borrowed car, political website Guido Fawkes claims.

The North West Leicestershire MP became the first sitting member in May last year for the party, set up by actor Laurence Fox, after being ousted by the Conservatives for comparing the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines to the Holocaust.

But, in a surprise twist last month, Mr Bridgen, who has represented the district since 2010, announced he had quit the party.

In a post on social media, he said the decision was 'an incredibly difficult one' - but he needs to put his constituency first.

He thanked both Mr Fox and the rest of the Reclaim team for their wholehearted support of him.

Mr Bridgen added he had arrived at the decision "purely because of a difference in the direction of the party".

However, Guido Fawkes has now claimed the separation was actually down to a disagreement involving a car and a Christmas tree.

Laurence Fox and (inset) Andrew Bridgen. Images: Dreamstime/You Tube

The website said it had heard Mr Bridgen had "borrowed the Reclaim Party's company car before Christmas for a spot of constituency work".

It added Mr Fox "then called him up asking for the car back to carry a Christmas tree" but the MP refused.

Guido continued: "Fox said he would report the car to the police as missing or stolen if Bridgen did not return it.

"Bridgen gave him a more resolute 'no' and released his statement of resignation."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has approached Mr Bridgen for a comment, but has not received a response.

Guido said the MP had told them he was "grateful for all the help Reclaim gave me over the nine months."