SILVER Hill activist Kim Gottlieb will remain a Conservative councillor after surviving a vote to kick him from the group.

Last night Tories at Winchester City Council agreed to keep Cllr Gottlieb onside following an escalation of his battle against the £150 million development.

Cabinet member James Byrnes presented the case to remove the whip, arguing that Cllr Gottlieb had brought the party into disrepute, "not by his campaigns but by the manner of them".

"Members of the public don't see the emails he has sent and not published," Cllr Byrnes said today after failing to win the two-thirds majority required to withdraw the whip.

The portfolio holder for local economy has taken on Cllr Gottlieb in several emails seen by the Chronicle, questioning his "agenda" in challenging the scheme and pointing out he is himself a property developer.

Cllr Gottlieb has always denied a conflict of interest.

But the Silver Hill rebel angered some colleagues last week by calling for the resignation of council chief executive Simon Eden over a damning report by investigator Claer Lloyd-Jones.

"Last night I would describe as a storm in a teacup," Cllr Gottlieb said. "We had a full and frank discussion then moved on.

"There are lots of issues that need to be tackled and we have to consider the best way of tackling them."

Council leader Stephen Godfrey said regarding the vote: "I discouraged debate.

"I was very concerned. My objective this year was to make sure we went through with as much group cohesion as possible."