Pendle Borough Council

On 9 March 2017, The Labour and Liberal Democrat group were accused of "racism" after allegedly asking the solitary BNP councilor to form a coalition with them to avoid the Conservatives taking control of the council. The alleged deal between the BNP, Labour and Liberal Democrats was strenuously denied by the three parties. However, Leader of the Conservative opposition, Cllr Joe Cooney wrote to current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the then Lib Dem leader Tim Farron in asking them to condemn the situation.[1]

In June 2017, a Conservative councilor, Rosemary Carroll,[2] was suspended after sending a racist post on social media comparing Asians to dogs. This controversy expanded after the local elections in 2018, when the councilor was readmitted into the Conservative Party, allowing the Conservative party to gain a majority on the council. The Pendle Labour party accused the Pendle Conservative Party of condoning racism after the reinstatement. The Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler, called upon the Conservative Party Chairman, Brandon Lewis, to issue a statement saying that the councilor in question would not be part of the Conservative group on the council. This followed a statement from Lewis congratulating the Pendle Conservatives on winning a majority on the council.[3][4]