Tory leader accused over “racist, sexist and pornographic” emails quits, faces expulsion

The somewhat appropriately named Conservative council group leader in Hinckley and Bosworth, Peter Batty, has resigned from his post after being accused of sending a series of “racist, sexist and pornographic” emails.

The local Conservatives are now looking at taking disciplinary action, as the Leicester Mercury reports:

Coun Batty denies sending some of the more extreme emails, sent in a dossier to the Mercury, but admits sending others including jokes about Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg and one with an image of a naked woman.

He has apologised for any offence that was caused and resigned the leadership just before his colleagues were to hold a vote of no confidence in him.

However Cllr Batty isn’t going quietly:

Coun Batty said: “This disgraceful and disingenuous hate campaign against me, driven by a small group of individuals with personal grudges has made my wife very ill and that is why I decided to resign as the council’s Conservative group leader.”

If you’re that way inclined, it’s not that hard to track down details of what was in some of the emails he sent. It’s not hard either to see why they make him quite unsuitable to be a council group leader. No hate required.