Row over suspended councillor

A COUNCILLOR who has been suspended by the Conservative Party for reposting an online message by a far-right party has been nominated for a new position.

Last month, Kevin Bulmer, who represents Goring on Oxfordshire County Council, was suspended by Eddie Reeves, leader of the Conservative group.

At a council meeting on Tuesday he was nominated for a place on the pension fund committee and rival councillors asked for clarity from Councillor Reeves.

Councillor Ian Middleton (Green) said: “I would be grateful for his advice on how somebody can be so beyond the pale when the whip is removed from him and not from the point of view that he still remains within the alliance group that he is the leader of.

“It is within his gift to refuse the membership of that alliance as well and I just wonder why he hasn’t taken that opportunity to do that.”

Monitoring officer Anita Bradley confirmed that because Cllr Bulmer was an independent member of the Conservative Independent Alliance, he was entitled to the seat on the committee.

The original post by the Britain First party on X showed a picture with the words: “Another Islamist squatter in Britain says Muslims will never accept our laws. If he really wanted to live under Islamist law, he’d leave.”

At the time, Cllr Bulmer said reposting the message was an “unwitting mistake” and he removed it.