Tory candidate suspended following racist social media posts

A Conservative candidate for the local elections in North Lincolnshire has been suspended after they were accused of sharing social media posts featuring racist comments.
Mason Boycott-Owen
By Mason Boycott-Owen
Published 21st Apr 2023, 04:45 BST

Ashley Sykes, the party’s candidate for the Ashby Lakeside ward in the region, was suspended this week after being approached by The Yorkshire Post.

Previous Facebook posts from 2016 appeared to show the candidate sharing racist, antisemitic and homophobic memes, prompting Labour to call for his suspension.

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Len Foster, Leader of North Lincs Labour, said: “The volume of racist, sexist and homophobic content on Mr Sykes’s social media page is deeply concerning.

File photo dated 06/05/10 of a voter placing a ballot paper in the ballot box. More than half of people say climate change will influence the way they vote in the next general election, a survey suggests.File photo dated 06/05/10 of a voter placing a ballot paper in the ballot box. More than half of people say climate change will influence the way they vote in the next general election, a survey suggests.
File photo dated 06/05/10 of a voter placing a ballot paper in the ballot box. More than half of people say climate change will influence the way they vote in the next general election, a survey suggests.

“This man should never have been allowed to stand as a candidate for our council.

“At a time when trust and integrity in politics is paramount, yet again the Conservatives reveal their true colours. If the Conservative Party has any respect for the people of North Lincolnshire they will remove him as a candidate with immediate effect.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Ashley Sykes has been suspended from the Party pending investigation”.

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Mr Sykes becomes the latest candidate forced to step down over alleged inappropriate comments online.

Earlier this month a Bolton council candidate was kicked out of the Conservative Party after comments he was said to have made about ethnic minorities in relation to the Manchester Arena bombing.

Related topics:North LincolnshireFacebookBolton