Tories under pressure to sack local councillor who shared racist joke

Labour urged Theresa May to intervene personally over Tory councillor who posted comments comparing Asian people to dogs

Pressure is mounting on the Conservatives to sack a suspended councillor accused of racism, who was hastily reinstated to secure a local election victory.

Theresa May has been urged to personally intervene in the row over ex-mayor Rosemary Carroll, who was forced to stand down for three months for posting comments on Facebook comparing Asian people to dogs.

Labour said it was “unacceptable” for her to return to the party, after it emerged that Ms Carroll had rejoined a day after the local elections - handing the Conservatives narrow control over Pendle Council, in Lancashire.

Cabinet minister Greg Clark said such views had “no place” in the party and suggested she could face a fresh investigation for the comments.

The business secretary told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I haven’t seen that, but I’ve read reports of it and it seems to me that if they are the views of this person, she has no place in the Conservative Party.”

He added: “If they are her views, then they’re incompatible with the Conservative Party. But it is for the authorities, my party authorities, to investigate that.”

Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis, who congratulated Pendle councillors on social media on Friday, said he would look at the matter again but Ms Carroll had been punished already by the local party.

He told Sky News’s Ridge on Sunday said: “Her position is it was an accident. She was suspended, she’s been through diversity training.

“The punishment she had was endorsed by the Labour Party and the BNP, who supported them on that council at the time.

“So we need to be very clear about what the facts are. But it is something that I am going to be having a look at, because we’ve been very clear from the beginning.

“In our party, if we have an issue come up, as we have done over the last few months, when it comes up, we won’t do what the Labour Party does and pretend it doesn’t exist. We will deal with it.”

The row has sparked fury from Labour, prompting shadow chancellor John McDonnell to urge Ms May to personally intervene.

“To have the Conservative Party take control of the council by reinstating a councillor who used the foulest racist joke is unacceptable,” he said.

“I want Theresa May to say now to Brandon Lewis, who congratulated those councillors, first of all to apologise and suspend that councillor again. It’s unacceptable.”

Ms Carroll has previously apologised for posting the joke, claiming she intended to delete the post rather than share it.

Her return to the Tory ranks, after sitting as an independent councillor, tipped the political balance of Pendle Council so the Tories hold 25 seats, Labour 15 seats and the Liberal Democrats nine.