Councillor apologises for Liverpool crime link tweet
- Published
Ms Sinar tweeted that she was "sorry that a comment I made earlier has caused offence"
A Conservative councillor who linked Labour supporters from Liverpool to burglaries and drug incidents in a tweet has apologised.
On Sunday, Gaynor Sinar said the party should not use Liverpool campaigners in Northwich, due to crimes she claimed had been traced back to the city.
Apologising on Monday, she tweeted that she had a "great deal of respect for Liverpudlians".
A Labour spokesman said the party was "enormously disappointed".
He added that it was "unfortunate that yet again we see a Conservative Party committed to causing division where it does not need to exist".
Ms Sinar's original tweet, which was posted in response to a comment made by fellow Tory councillor Mike Jones, stated that Labour would lose votes in the Cheshire town because they had "shipped in" supporters from Liverpool.
"After a few burglaries and drugs incidents traced back to Liverpool over the past few years, we prefer to see local people leafleting and canvassing," she wrote.
However, she then deleted the post on Monday and tweeted that she was "sorry that a comment I made earlier has caused offence", adding she would "not want to hurt" anyone from Liverpool.
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Ms Sinar is standing for re-election to Cheshire West and Chester Council in the Hartford and Greenbank area near Northwich against Labour, Green Party and independent candidates.
Independent Martin Loftus said he was "surprised that such an experienced councillor would make such a sweeping generalisation", while a Green Party spokesman said the comments were "typical of politicians trying to cause divisions which leads ultimately to hate and war".
The Conservative Party has declined to comment.