Angela Rayner comments on reports a Conservative Party Councillor candidate will no longer stand due to tweets promoting Nazi ideology

“The promotion and propagation of a core tenet of racist Nazi ideology is completely unacceptable and has no place in our politics. I am horrified that someone who has publicly promoted these views has been selected as a Conservative Party candidate.

“Given Sharon Thomason made these comments before she was selected as a candidate, and this statement was raised with the Chair of the local Conservative Association in Warrington before she was selected, the Conservative Party must explain why the promotion of Nazi ideology almost a year ago does not prevent someone from being selected as a Tory candidate, who knew about Sharon Thomason's statement and did nothing to prevent her selection as a candidate and what steps the Conservative Party is taking to ensure that nobody who promotes Nazism and racist ideologies will be welcomed as a member of or candidate for the Conservative Party.”