Tories in Witney have called for MP Shaun Woodward to resign in the wake of a landslide victory by the Conservatives in the local elections.

The Tories won overall control of West Oxfordshire District Council, snapping up 11 of the 17 seats up for election on Thursday.

Now the party's prospective parliamentary candidate, David Cameron, has repeated calls for Mr Woodward to step down and allow a by-election.

Just before Christmas, Mr Woodward announced he was quitting the Tory party to join Labour. Since then, he has been rewarded with an important job in Tony Blair's Government, tackling drugs in schools. Mr Cameron said: "These results send a clear message to Witney's turncoat MP. Time and time again on the doorstep I heard people saying how appalled they were by what he has done.

"Here is constituency-wide proof he is totally discredited and isolated. He should do the honourable thing and resign."

The Conservatives took 47 per cent of the votes cast in the district council elections, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 21 per cent, Labour 20 per cent and independents 12 per cent.

Mr Cameron said: "The Conservative Party is on the march in West Oxfordshire. Last year we won the town council, this year we have taken the district. Next year we must win the county council elections and the General Election, whenever Mr Blair likes to call it. "I would like to congratulate the leader of Conservatives in West Oxfordshire, Barry Norton, and our team of candidates on their success.

"We beat Labour everywhere we stood against them and we won seats, like Chipping Norton, that have been Labour for decades."

Yesterday, Mr Woodward said he was not worried about his parliamentary seat.

He said: "People have to be very careful about comparisons they are making between local council elections and general elections.

"I don't believe this was a protest vote against me.

"This was a sad day for the people of Witney the Conservatives will not get results for the public there."