MP calls for councillor to quit after wife jailed

Raymond Connolly has been urged to resign by an MP after his wife was jailed on Thursday

An MP has called for a councillor to resign after their wife was jailed for calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire.

Lucy Connolly, 41, is married to West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly.

She was jailed for 31 months after posting an expletive-ridden post on X on the day three girls were killed in Southport.

Labour MP for Northampton South Mike Reader believed Mr Connolly, who previously defended his wife, should resign from his position.

"This conviction shows how important it is that all of us in politics contribute to high standards in public discourse," Mr Reader said.

"As [councillor] Connolly repeatedly defended the comments made, I hope he will now do the right thing and resign from West Northamptonshire Council."

Connolly, who is a childminder, previously admitted intending to stir up racial hatred.

She had called for "mass deportation now" and added: "If that makes me racist, so be it."

MP for Northampton South Mike Reader believed Mr Connolly resigning was the "right thing"

During her sentencing, Birmingham Crown Court heard that Connolly had said in a WhatsApp message that if she were to get arrested she would "play the mental health card".

Mr Connolly, who attended the hearing, declined to comment after he left the court.

He had previously told the BBC his wife was "a good person and she's not a racist".

He explained she had made one "stupid, spur-of-the-moment tweet out of frustration and quickly deleted it".

"She’s got Somalian and Bangladeshi kids she looks after, and she loves them like they’re her own," he added.

Lucy Connolly was ordered to serve 40% of her 31-month sentence in prison before being released on licence.

After his wife's plea hearing in September, Mr Connolly also said she had known she "overstepped the mark" and had regretted her post.

He revealed he had had messages of support urging him to not resign as a councillor, while some others had said the opposite.

"I'll leave it to the next elections and let them decide," he previously said.

Mr Connolly would not comment on his future when contacted by the BBC.