Tory councillor being investigated by police after calling Ian Wright a ‘typical black hypocrite’ in a tweet amid Gary Lineker migrant row resigns from the party
- Cllr Alexis McEvoy said she was ‘deeply sorry’ and finds racism ‘abhorrent’
- She has resigned from Tory party and will now sit as an independent councillor
A Tory councillor who is being investigated by police after calling Ian Wright a ‘typical black hypocrite’ has now resigned from the party.
Cllr Alexis McEvoy, who represents Fawley, Blackfield and Langley on New Forest District Council and South Waterside on Hampshire County Council, said she was ‘deeply sorry’ for her comments and finds racism in any form ‘abhorrent’.
After sparking outrage across social media, she has resigned from the Conservative Party and stood down from her role on the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA).
She will now sit on New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council as an independent member as Hampshire police continue to investigate her post.
Cllr McEvoy, from Langley in Hampshire, was also a governor of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the city’s main hospital, but the trust today said she had been stood down from that post too.
Alexis McEvoy, a councillor for New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council, has resigned from the Conservative party following her comments about Ian Wright
The councillor retweeted a post about Ian Wright to her 500 followers, adding the phrase: ‘typical black hypocrite’
Cllr McEvoy’s comment came after she waded into the debate over Gary Lineker’s controversial tweet regarding the government’s new immigration bill.
READ MORE: Conservative councillor calls Arsenal legend Ian Wright a ‘typical black hypocrite’
The councillor retweeted a post about Ian Wright to her 500 followers, adding the phrase ‘a typical black hypocrite’ alongside an angry devil emoji.
In a statement issued by the county’s Conservative group, Cllr McEvoy subsequently said: ‘I am aware that a tweet I sent, and then deleted, has caused offence. I did not mean it to do so and I am deeply sorry.
‘I find racism in any form abhorrent, I have therefore reported myself to the monitoring officer at both Hampshire County Council and New Forest District Council and have suspended myself from both the Conservative groups at New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council, pending investigations.’
Arsenal legend Wright, 59, accused her of making ‘a fake apology’.
Speaking on his Wright’s House podcast, the former Arsenal player said: ‘There is one person that I want to address directly: the Hampshire councillor Alexis McEvoy.
‘I just want to say to her, please just keep your fake apology to yourself.’
Cllr McEvoy’s tweet was deleted and her Twitter account deactivated.
She then said: ‘I’ve removed the tweet now, and it was taken out of context. Are we going to talk about all the good things I do for people, whatever colour they are? I do a lot of good things for people. I’m not prepared to make a further comment on it.
‘I’m not stupid; we’ve got the elections coming up and people are looking for an excuse to try and discredit me.’
Ian Wright accused Cllr McEvoy of making ‘a fake apology’
A district council spokesperson today said: ‘The council has been informed that Cllr Alexis McEvoy is no longer a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party or the New Forest Conservative Group.
‘She has stood down from committees and outside bodies.’
Cllr McEvoy has run a restaurant and guest house in the village for years and lists her skills as including ‘exceptional communication skills, diplomacy and conflict resolution’ as well as ‘complaint handling’.
The NPA said it was aware of complaints about online content posted by Cllr McEvoy.
It added: ‘We can confirm that Cllr McEvoy is no longer a New Forest NPA board member.
‘We received written confirmation that Cllr McEvoy has resigned from the Conservative Group at the county council, from all her county council committee appointments, and from all her appointments to outside bodies.’
Source: Read Full Article
