• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Tory vice-chairman of council who said they were dealing with ‘n***o in the woodpile’ resigns

"The term is dehumanising. You only need to watch films like 12 Years a Slave to see how it is used as a weapon to treat black people as inferior."

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2021-11-20 09:59
in News
Councillor Ian Stokes. Credit;SWNS

Councillor Ian Stokes. Credit;SWNS

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A Tory council vice-chairman who told a public meeting “that’s dealt with the little n***o in the woodpile” has resigned following a race row.

Councillor Ian Stokes left members of South Kesteven District Council stunned when he made the racist slur while chairing a committee last month.

After hearing representations from another councillor, he told the council chamber: “Well, that’s dealt with that little n***o in the woodpile, so to speak.”

His remarks sparked outrage among fellow politicians and local residents who branded his actions “abhorrent” and “deeply offensive.”

The councillor, who represents the ward of Peascliffe and Ridgeway near Grantham, Lincs., was suspended from the Conservative group a short time later.

He later apologised for the comments and claimed he meant to say “needle in a haystack” and he has now stepped down from his role as vice-chairman.

Council chiefs will now decide whether to impose sanctions against Cllr Stokes after receiving 21 formal complaints.

RelatedPosts

Reactions as Peter Bone calls PM ‘honest man’ because ‘he did Brexit’

America has now had almost 200 mass shootings…. in 2022!

America, what is it going to take? Reaction as tragedy unfolds in the States once again

Watch: Sadiq Khan demands answers from Met over partygate fines

He remains an unaligned Independent councillor and the authority will meet next week to discuss electing a new vice-chair and future chairman.

Cllr Stokes’ comments on October 20 were met with anger with many calling on him to resign at the time with immediate effect.

Racial slur

Yvette Diaz-Munoz, of Stamford Anti-Racism Group, said: “The expression he used is a racial slur and should never be used. He should resign.

“In 2017 when Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris used the same expression she was suspended from the party.

“The term is believed to have its roots in the ‘Underground Railroad’ route to freedom used by those who had been enslaved and who were fugitives in the south of the United States in the mid-19th Century and referred to hiding in woodstacks outside houses and in pulpwood in railway carriages.

“The term is dehumanising. You only need to watch films like 12 Years a Slave to see how it is used as a weapon to treat black people as inferior.

“In short it is deeply offensive and I was frankly shocked to hear that someone in such a position of responsibility could even think it appropriate to use such a term.”

Local resident George Naylor, 67, was watching the live Youtube stream of the meeting when the comment was made about half an hour in.

The granddad-of-two, of Grantham, Lincs., said: “I could not believe what I was hearing – he said it so flippantly and even worse nobody batted an eyelid at the time.

“His comments were abhorrent in this day and age, I don’t want somebody capable of those remarks representing my town and he should step down.”

Other council colleagues lodged formal complaints to the monitoring officer about the remarks made during the governance and audit committee meeting.

Totally unacceptable

Independent councillor Ashley Baxter, who represents Market and West Deeping, said: “When I heard Cllr Stokes say those words, I thought surely I haven’t heard that correctly.

“Surely he wouldn’t have said that as chairman of a public meeting and as vice-chairman of the council – but he did.

“To use such archaic, racist language is totally unacceptable.”

Cllr Stokes said at the time: “I unreservedly apologise for the wording I used in today’s governance and audit meeting, the phase was completely unacceptable and I withdraw this remark.

“It was said accidentally and for that I am truly and deeply sorry for any offence that I have caused to anyone.”

Related: Labour slam Tories for failing to tackle Islamophobia within its ranks

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Cross-party group of MPs urge Boris Johnson to publish the Russia report

Mental Health: It shouldn’t be so hard to get the right help

Sheffield Wednesday break Guinness World Record for largest ‘cake ball’ weighing 285kg

Ministers struggle to name ONE country that has expressed interest in a post-Brexit trade deal

Today is the day women effectively stop earning for the rest of the year relative to men

New Zealand will not just ‘learn to live with Covid’

Hilton Dawson: ‘Hartlepool has been badly let down by London-based parties’

Dominic Cummings suggested NHS could fund selection of genetic traits in babies

Ministers considering proposals to raise National Lottery age limit to 18

Matt Hancock could get £16k golden handshake

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.