A would-be Tory councillor has been suspended after he appeared to suggest the UK “got its knickers in a twist” over an MP’s use of the racist term “n*****”.
Hugh Sach, who was vying to get elected to Fareham Borough Council, has denied he wrote the 2017 Facebook post about Tory MP Anne Marie Morris’ racist outburst.
Morris was suspended after HuffPost UK exclusively revealed how she described a no-deal Brexit as a “real n*****r in the woodpile” at a meeting of eurosceptics in Central London.
Sach, who has claimed his social media profile was hacked, appeared to say “noone really batted an eyelid” when the widely-denounced slogan “If you want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Labour” was used by a Tory candidate in the 1960s.
He said Morris should not have used the racist term but he thought people had made a “big song and dance” about it.
A Conservative spokesman said: “Hugh Sach has been suspended and an investigation is underway.”
Labour, meanwhile, called the comments “outrageous and totally unacceptable”.
When contacted for comment, Sash said: “The post was not made by me, just before the election last year my account was hacked. I would never wish to make such comments.”
He claimed to have no recollection of the posts and suggested they may even have been photoshopped.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “These comments are outrageous and totally unacceptable - the Conservative Party needs to show that it takes racism seriously by launching an investigation.”
Morris apologised for “using such inappropriate and offensive language” and her suspension from the party was lifted last year.