Former Sandwell Tory leader cleared after sexist tweet allegations

Laured Kalari said the tweets did not come from his account

A former Sandwell Conservative leader has been cleared by the party of wrongdoing following allegations he posted sexist tweets.

Laured Kalari had been suspended over a series of abusive social media posts aimed at deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner among others in 2020 and 2021.

He denied the claims and said they came from a fake account.

Following an investigation, Mr Kalari's membership was reinstated, the Tory party confirmed.

He thanked friends and family for support and said he would be continuing to pursue the matter through "appropriate legal channels", in a statement seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Rowley councillor had been suspended in January when the tweets came to light.

The posts, which have since been deleted, included a message abusing the grieving friends of murder victim Sarah Everard, with further derogatory comments made about Ms Rayner and a Muslim woman whose hijab was mocked.