'It beggars belief' - MP criticises Tories for inviting councillor suspended for 'antisemitic' social media posts to Parliament

Among the posts, Mr Hussain had said gold had been stolen from Iraq and “sent to Israel and the Rothschilds to make more war”. The Rothschild family has been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories for a number of centuries.

In another post, captioned by Coun Hussain with “A picture paints more than a thousand words”, a comparison is made between Nazi Germany and contemporary Israel. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by the UK Government, includes comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

He had “liked” another comment that said the US Senate was “run by the Jews”.

The posts were originally discovered during vetting when Mr Hussain attempted to stand for election this year as a Labour Party candidate. It’s believed he withdrew his candidacy and joined the Conservative Party when he was made aware of concerns.

It’s not clear when Coun Hussain’s suspension from the Conservative Party was lifted.

"These are serious allegations that require serious action, and the lack thereof just goes to show how unserious and unfit to govern the Tory party is," said Mr Cunningham yesterday.

Stockton South’s Matt Vickers, hosted Coun Hussain in Parliament in September. A post to the Conservative MP’s Facebook page at the time said it had been “brilliant to meet” the councillor and a delegation of community activists.

"It absolutely beggars belief that not only have the Conservatives failed to take robust action on this issue, but they think it is okay to celebrate Coun Hussain in Parliament. Surely Mr Vickers knew of his track record,” added Cunningham.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "We are aware of these historical posts made several years before Cllr Hussain joined the Conservative Party.

"This matter has been reviewed under the Party’s Code of Conduct and he has now apologised unreservedly for making the posts, completed an appropriate training course, and been reminded of his responsibilities on social media."

Matt Vickers and Shakeel Hussain did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Stockton Council is led by a minority Labour administration. An unsuccessful motion was brought to September’s council meeting by Conservative councillor Niall Innes to topple Labour leader Bob Cook and replace him with Tory Tony Riordan.

The same motion was withdrawn shortly before July’s council meeting because the party, according to Mr Innes, "just didn't have the numbers".

An attempt was made to withdraw the motion again during September’s council meeting, but it was decided to vote on whether or not to withdraw the motion. The decision to hear the motion was upheld by a vote of 29-25 in favour, and the following vote on the motion itself was decided by the same margin.

Conservative group leader, Tony Riordan, did not respond to a request for comment.