A LABOUR Councillor who was suspended after shockingly branding the King of England a ‘n*nce’ on social media, has won the local election in his ward.
David Beckett, a prominent Labour Councillor in Darlington who has been on the campaign trail with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and chairwoman Anneliese Dodds, was suspended from the party this week after saying he would not give affirmation to a “n*nce”.
“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.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen told The Independent at the time that Beckett’s comments were “nasty”.
“Sadly this type of behaviour and these types of statements are not uncommon when it comes to the Labour Party across Teesside,” Mr Houchen said. “While Keir Starmer might be trying to convince the public that Labour has changed, the truth is its membership is as nasty and Corbynite as ever.”
In a statement to the Northern Echo, the Darlington Labour group said it does not agree with the comments and confirmed his suspension from the party.
A spokesman said: “Darlington Labour do not agree with or endorse the comments made by this individual in this case.
“We hold our councillors and candidates to a high standard and apologise unequivocally for the offence caused in this instance.”
Mr Beckett has since deleted his Twitter account and has not made a formal statement.
