Shipley MP Chris Leslie is facing demands that he resign as advisor to Lord Falconer, Minister for the Dome.

David Senior, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Shipley, said Mr Leslie's position was now "untenable following the worst week in the history of the Millennium Dome''.

In a letter to Mr Leslie, he calls for him to reveal the extent of his personal involvement in the events of recent weeks.

Mr Senior writes: "Any manager in the private sector responsible for incompetence on this scale would be history, yet Lord Falconer, a friend of Tony Blair, seems determined to hang on to his job in blatant disregard of public opinion.

"As his Parliamentary Private Secretary, responsible for advising Lord Falconer and for justifying his lamentable performance, you now have a clear choice.

''You can continue to cover his lordship's back or you can speak out for the people of Shipley, if necessary risking the ire of Millbank (Labour Party HQ) and putting your job on the line.

''People in Shipley Constituency have now subsidised this London folly by over £1 million, yet Shipley traders confirm that very few local people have bought tickets to visit the Dome. This money could instead have been used to build four village halls or could have made a real difference to local charities serving young people, the elderly and the sick.

"Those who elected you are entitled to know where you stand. They will also wish to know whether and to what extent you may have been personally implicated in the events of recent weeks.

"The accountants found financial control at the Dome to be lax, with no fixed budgets and no knowledge of which bills were paid or owing.''

Mr Leslie is abroad on Government business and was unavailable for comment but his campaign co-ordinator, Frank Needham, said Mr Leslie had a wide range of responsibilities but no direct influence on the management of the Dome. He said: ''Mr Senior does seem to be trying to emulate William Hague by jumping on any passing bandwagon.

''He is trying to make cheap political capital and there is no question of Mr Leslie resigning.''

A Labour Party spokesman added: "This is a ridiculous charge and an absurd allegation.''