A FORMER East Lancashire Tory MP today warned that the Conservative party was in danger of becoming a "laughing stock."

Sir David Trippier spoke out after a series of high-profile rifts and wrangles at this week's party conference in Blackpool.

Former leader Margaret Thatcher accused Europe of creating most of the problems of the 20th century, asked for the organiser of a meeting to be "shot at dawn" after problems with the public address system and has had to formally deny that she has privately criticised leader William Hague.

said the Conservatives would become "unelectable" if they shifted to the right.

Sir David, ex-MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said: "The Tories are in danger of repeating Labour's mistakes between 1979 and 1983 and concentrating too much on purifying policy and spending too much time fighting amongst ourselves.

"We risk becoming a laughing stock with the Labour Party and the voters."

Sir David, ousted by Labour's Janet Anderson in 1992, echoed comments by former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind last night. He warned against "bunker Toryism" as the party becomes increasingly right wing and anti European.

He said that if it continued on this way, it would repeat Labour's mistake of delighting the activists and putting off the voters to make the party unelectable.

Sir David said: "I think the truth is that everybody knows that I am a friend and supporter of Michael Heseltine and Kenneth Clarke. I agree with Malcolm Rifkind.

"It's absolutely ridiculous that they are not allowed to speak out because of their support for the European single currency.

"I am very unhappy about the drift to the right on Europe. I don't think it does any good and the issue may not even be on the agenda at the next election."

Sir David was at the Tory Party Conference in Blackpool to launch his autobiography "Lend Me Your Ears."

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