A Labour council leader branded child rape gang victims in Rotherham “white trash” in a vile WhatsApp exchange.
Dennis Jones, the leader of Peterborough City Council, made the comments in late-night exchanges with a younger councillor, Daisy Blakemore Creedon.
When she raised concerns about immigration and women’s safety, Jones lashed out: “Oh so white British cops f*****g poor white trash in Rotherham is OK, is it? Get a f*****g grip, Daisy.”
He went on to accuse her of chasing “populist votes and attention”, adding: “I wish you no luck at all.”
Moments later, in a separate exchange, Jones appeared to mock the younger councillor, saying: “Give them your sweetest pout. And see above for likely outcome lol.”
The gross comments sparked immediate outrage, with demands Labour take disciplinary action, and that Jones resign.
Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp MP described the comments as “truly abhorrent” saying “Peterborough is one of the 50 towns and cities identified as somewhere these disgusting rape gangs are believed to have operated.”
He added: “Victims and survivors have been let down by this Labour Government who had to be dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way. The Prime Minister disgracefully smeared as ‘far-right’ those supporting calls for a proper inquiry.
Philp called for Jones to be expelled from the Labour Party saying: “If Keir Starmer is serious about protecting victims, he will immediately expel this despicable man.”
Joining the criticism was independent MP, Rupert Lowe, who launched his own enquiry into Grooming Gangs across the UK earlier this year. He blasted Jones, calling the comments “disgusting” and “sickening”.
He added: “[Jones] should be turfed out of office. If he had any respect, he would resign today.”
Lowe suggested that grooming gangs could be “an issue in Peterborough too” and that Daisy was “doing superb work raising awareness and pushing for change.”
He added: “Our Rape Gang Inquiry has uncovered evidence of rape gang activity Peterborough, and it was one of the 85 authorities we named last week.”
Lowe suggested he wasn’t surprised that “this evil has flourished with such contemptuous individuals running local government? He should resign today.”
Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP said that the language was “emblematic of the vile, misogynistic and dismissive attitude we’ve seen from Labour MPs, Councillors and this Government who’ve sneered at and let down our girls who needed and deserved support and protection”.
She added that Jones “isn’t fit to lead Peterborough Council – what hope do survivors of rape gangs in Peterborough have with him at the helm? He should resign.”
Another MP, Conservative Katie Lam said that Jones had “callously” dismissed “legitimate concerns about immigration and women’s safety”. She said “It’s particularly disgusting to see Cllr Jones repeating the “white trash” slur so casually to try to shut this conversation down: this is a trope that contributed to the long-standing cover-up of grooming and rape gangs across the country. The truth is uncomfortable, but it must be heard.”
Jones has so far not apologised publicly, and did not respond to requests for comment when approached on numerous occassions by the Express.
Cllr Daisy Blakemore Creedon resigned from the Labour group earlier this year, citing “sustained bullying and marginalisation within the group”.
She now sits as an independent.
The Councillor told the Express that she and Jones had a “nice civil conversation up till this point” and that she was “blown away by what he said”.
The Labour Party and Cllr Jones were contacted for comment. It is understood that the local authority understands the messages to be genuine, and did not deny that they were real when asked.
A Labour Party Spokesman said: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards from our members and our elected representatives. The language used here was inappropriate and swift action has been taken, in line with our rules and procedures. We cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing.”
It is understood that Jones has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation.