A COUNCILLOR has been kicked out of the Conservative party following controversial comments he made about Southall.

Benjamin Dennehy, who represents residents in Hanger Hill, was initially suspended from the party last month after posting an explosive blog on his website. The former Tory now remains on Ealing Council as an independent member.

Ealing Council’s board of standards received a complaint about the blog and will decide next week whether to launch an investigation.

Mr Dennehy, who is from New Zealand, sparked outrage when he wrote how criminality is ‘endemic’ to Southall, and that the area’s Indian community ‘exploits its own people’.

Labour councillors stopped Mr Dennehy from making an apology at the beginning of a full meeting of the council on Tuesday night, asking him to hear their debate on the issue first, and criticised the Tory leader, Councillor David Millican, for his silence on the matter.

Mr Dennehy left the meeting before the debate.

Mr Millican told the chamber: “Councillor Dennehy has lost the Conservative whip. He now sits as an independent and is under investigation by the party.

“It’s disappointing that this council has denied him the opportunity to apologise and atone for his mistake.

“It’s never easy to say sorry, and in such a public forum. People who make mistakes in life should be allowed to learn from them. We’ve all done something or said something we regret.”

Tory councillors sat tight-lipped as several Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors condemned Mr Dennehy’s comments.

Labour’s Hitesh Tailor said: “There has been complete absence of any contrition and condemnation or apology from the Conservatives and that’s what this borough deserves.

“We want an apology from Councillor Dennehy and one from Councillor Millican.”

Referring to Mr Millican’s predecessor as Tory council leader, Jason Stacey, Mr Tailor added: “I suspect this would not have happened under Councillor Jason Stacey’s watch.”