Rachel Frosh back on Tory list after Hitler tweet row

Rachel Frosh said she had been unfairly represented

A Conservative who resigned as a deputy police and crime commissioner (PCC) over a Twitter post has been restored to the party's candidates list.

Rachel Frosh resigned as deputy PCC for Hertfordshire earlier this month after re-tweeting another user's post likening socialists to Nazis.

She was also taken off the Tories' list of potential election candidates.

Dr Frosh said she had been restored to the list following an interview with Conservative Central Office.

The original post shared by Dr Frosh read "Dear #Socialists, embrace your inner #Nazism," and linked to a quote from Adolf Hitler.

Dr Frosh later said she did not endorse the tweet and did not consider Labour or socialists to be Nazis. She said she had been "exploring the socialist roots of Nazism".

'Unfairly misrepresented'

Hertfordshire PCC David Lloyd said he was "concerned" and the following day Dr Frosh resigned from the two-day-a-week, £20,000-a-year post.

In her resignation statement, she said: "I appreciate that David must have constructive relationships with all political parties."

This week, in a blog post, she said she had been interviewed by Conservative Central Office.

"Having looked at the facts, they could see that I was totally and completely unfairly misrepresented in the mainstream press, but at least the internet and bloggers provided a truthful counter-balance," she wrote.

"I'm therefore back on the candidates list."

She said she had received many messages of support, adding: "It was quite humbling to see what a great bunch of people my friends and Conservative colleagues are."

Dr Frosh, an NHS consultant and a member of Harpenden Town Council, said she had complained to the Press Complaints Commission about one newspaper story about the matter.

A spokesman for Mr Lloyd said he was "reflecting" on whether he needed another deputy, and expected to make a decision in May.

A spokesman for the Conservative party said he could not comment on the candidates list.