Conservative councillors at Cornwall Council have demanded council leader Julian German remove the deputy leader from the Cabinet.

Adam Paynter, who is currently deputy leader, was suspended by the Liberal Democrats and barred from standing for them for a year after being found to have brought the party into disrepute.

The sanctions came after he shared a confidential email which had been sent to him by a party colleague to senior officers at Cornwall Council. He has since apologised.

But despite the ruling Cllr Paynter switched to the Independent group and has retained his position in Cornwall Council’s Cabinet.

Now Conservative councillors have told Cllr German that if he does not remove Cllr Paynter then they will push to get him removed as leader of the council.

Linda Taylor, leader of the Conservative group, set out her group’s demands in an email which was sent to all councillors and key officers this morning.

In the email, addressed to Cllr German, she says: “I am disappointed beyond measure that I should have to request that you remove Cllr Paynter from your cabinet. His behaviour has been sufficiently reprehensible that he has been suspended from his own political party for a year and banned from standing for office.

“It should have been clear to you as leader of the council that retaining him in his position was sending out totally the wrong message about standards of acceptable behaviour in Cornwall Council. This has further been compounded by your group’s arrangements to pervert the course of natural justice.

“Your inaction has brought the council into disrepute.

“The Conservative group will not stand by and allow this to remain unchallenged even at this stage in the council’s life. There can be no mitigation for bad behaviour at the most senior levels of our council however inconvenient the timing.

“The Conservative group have tabled a motion to remove you as leader of the cabinet if you continue to allow Cllr Paynter to remain in post.

“I believe that the moral compass of the council will successfully overcome the embarrassment of Cllr Paynter’s presence in the cabinet and if that happens the Conservative group will support a consensus candidate who is unlikely to stand for election in May to replace you for the last few weeks of this council.

“However, I hope that your innate sense of justice will prevail and even at this late stage you will do the right thing and remove Cllr Paynter from office for the remainder of this council. Should that be so my group will, of course, withdraw the motion to remove you.”

Asked about her calls Cllr Taylor said: “If it does go to the motion I am going to be interested if the Liberal Democrats will be voting against their own party’s decision regarding Cllr Paynter.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has approached Cllr German to comment on the Conservative Group’s request.