A council leader who referred to grooming gang victims as “poor white trash from Rotherham” in a Whatsapp message has stepped down from his role after being suspended by his party.
Dennis Jones, the Labour leader of Peterborough City Council, has resigned following the revelation of his use of the phrase to another councillor.
Independent councillor Daisy Blakemore-Creedon, who resigned from the Labour Party in May over bullying accusations, posted on social media an apparent exchange of messages which she said took place on 8 August.
She said she had messaged Mr Jones: “I care about safety and why should immigration put women’s safety at risk[?].”
A message labelled from Mr Jones responded: “Oh so white British cops f***ing poor white trash in Rotherham is OK, is it? Get a f***ing grip Daisy. You are aiming for populist votes and attention.
“Forgive me but you are bright enough to know what you are doing and, politically, I wish you no luck at all. But you know what you are setting out to do.”
Confirming his resignation, Mr Jones said it was “in the best interests” of the council while an investigation took place.
“With regard to the topic discussed, let me be absolutely clear: vile perpetrators of sexual abuse must face the full force of the law, and we must all continue to fight for victims of such abhorrent crimes to get the justice they deserve,” he said.
“In trying to assert this view, I used language which some who wrongly dismiss or choose to ignore such evil crimes commonly use to minimise such criminality. In doing so, I was intending to discredit this completely wrong characterisation and highlight the need to stand up for victims of such crimes.
“I apologise wholeheartedly for some of the language used in these messages, which was clearly inappropriate, and for any offence I may have caused as a result.”
