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A Reform council chief has jumped to the defence of a celebration councillor who was criticised over social media posts he made concerning the police and Black ladies.
In now-deleted posts on X (Twitter) written earlier than he was elected onto Staffordshire County Council, councillor Peter Mason known as the police “a bunch of politically indoctrinated British hating scum”. In one other publish, from March 2024, he wrote: “What a shock a statue of a fats arsed black girl.”
After the posts got here to gentle, Mr Mason, who can also be the cupboard member for highways on the council, apologised and mentioned he regretted his selection of phrases. Within the assertion he despatched to The Impartial, he added that the posts had been written throughout a troublesome private time when he was impacted by grief and redundancy.
Nonetheless, political opponents on the council have known as for him to step down, together with Conservative group chief Philip White, who described the posts as “abhorrent”.
In response, Ian Cooper, chief of Staffordshire County Council, despatched an e mail to Reform councillors to defend Mr Mason, claiming he had come beneath “focused political assault” since standing for Reform.
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The memo, titled “Assertion in Defence of Cllr Peter Mason”, appeared to have been mistakenly despatched to each Staffordshire councillor, earlier than it was seen by The Impartial.
Mr Cooper wrote: “These private assaults are a deliberate try by Reform’s political opponents to distract from their failings and to politicise a person’s proper to precise private views.”
He continued: “Peter’s remark relating to a statue of a Black girl was a critique of public artwork, not a private assault on a person. His views on policing additionally replicate issues shared by many, together with current reporting that, the Metropolitan Police is increasing its ‘woke’ workforce whereas going through a £250m funding hole and reducing hundreds of frontline jobs.”
Staffordshire County Council was one in all 10 councils that Reform gained management of on the native elections in Could. Since then, the authorities, particularly Kent County Council, have been beneath the highlight amid hypothesis over the nationwide get together’s possibilities of successful the subsequent common election.
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At Prime Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer criticised the operating of Kent council, the place 5 councillors had been reportedly expelled from the get together final month after a video leak that includes its chief Linden Kemkaran elevating her voice at colleagues.
In Staffordshire, Inexperienced councillor Jack Rose mentioned: “What’s occurring in Staffordshire is obvious to residents that Reform are extra all in favour of defending themselves than taking accountability for his or her posts and serving the county.”
Mr White mentioned: “This newest defence by the chief exhibits that relatively than coping with unacceptable behaviour, they want to sweep it beneath the carpet and hope everybody can neglect about it. Mr Mason ought to do the precise factor and resign, not obtain assist from his chief over this.”
The Impartial has contacted Mr Cooper for a response. Mr Mason mentioned he wouldn’t resign and hoped to maneuver on from the episode. “We’re all entitled to make errors, significantly when coping with private issues in our lives,” he mentioned.
Staffordshire County Council referred the matter to Reform UK, which The Impartial has approached for remark.
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