A Labour Councillor from Wales has been come under fire over his Facebook post using the words “kill the king” – but insists he wasn’t referring to King Charles.
The Glyn-y-Marl ward Labour councillor posted the song onto his Facebook “story” on Thursday, together with a photo of Conwy Castle – five days after King Charles III was crowned. Cllr Jones said Facebook then automatically added the song’s lyrics to the post, which has since been removed.
The Glyn-y-Marl ward Labour councillor’s post read: “Kill the King, Tear Him Down, Kill the King, yeah, Strike him Down.”
Cllr Jones’ post was then shared on Twitter by an angry constituent, who tagged Labour leader Keir Starmer in the tweet.
But Mr Jones defended the post, insisting it was not referencing King Charles III, but Edward I, who reigned between 1272 and 1307.
He explained: “I’ve got a councillor page, which is usually information, but this was my personal Facebook page.
“I think most people know King Edward built this castle to help rule over north and mid-Wales, hence my use of the song Kill the King, which is a medieval-type soundtrack.
“So it has nothing to do with our present King Charles III.
“When I posted this yesterday, which was May 11, King Charles was never in my mind.
“The only thing that was in my mind was that it was a lovely picture of Conwy Castle and that Conwy Castle was built by Edward I.”
“Are we seriously being asked to swear that we will ‘pledge allegiance to his Majesty, [his] heirs and successors according to law’?” his tweet read. “There isn’t a chance in hell of me giving such an affirmation to a n*nce”.
King Charles has never been accused of any sexual impropriety, so it is unclear as to why the Councillor chose to brand him a sex offender.
A source said he was “swiftly” suspended from the party and that Labour “does not condone” his views.
However, Beckett remained on the ballot paper as a Labour candidate for the Brinkburn and Faverdale ward in Darlington, a market town in County Durham, and won the seat with 949 votes in Thursday’s local election.
He will now sit as an independent unless the Labour Party decide to lift his suspension.
