Tory council candidate resigns over ‘Islamaphobic’ posts

Brighton and Hove Conservatives said they had accepted the resignation of Ivan Lyons as a party candidate.

It comes after posts which were allegedly Islamaphobic surfaced on social media.

Mike Long, chairman of Brighton and Hove Conservatives, said: “Before being selected as a Conservative candidate, Ivan, in a private social media forum amongst friends, shared jokes which are now in the public domain.

“Brighton and Hove Conservatives agree that many of the jokes are of an offensive nature and we unconditionally condemn the material that has been published.

“Ivan has apologised profusely for any offence that has been caused.

“The Conservative Party, both nationally and locally, does not tolerate discriminatory behaviour against any group. We do not tolerate either anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.

“Whilst we do not condone Ivan’s behaviour, we do note that he has himself been the victim of social media hate campaigns and condemn all offensive and hate-filled dialogue from whichever quarter it originates.

“Brighton and Hove Conservatives will announce a replacement candidate for Westbourne Ward in due course.”