Jeremy Corbyn Launches Legal Action Over Tory Councillor Liverpool Bomb Tweet
Jeremy Corbyn is taking legal action over a Tory councillor’s tweet regarding the Liverpool bomb attack.
Paul Nickerson, a Tory councillor in East Riding in Yorkshire, posted a tweet mocking Corbyn following the attack, in which a bomb exploded inside a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital just before 11.00am on Sunday, November 14.
Speaking of the pending legal action, Corbyn said, ‘My solicitor has been notified and we are taking legal action.’
The tweet in question depicts Corbyn laying a remembrance poppy wreath on top of the burning taxi from the Liverpool attacks.
Nickerson’s tweet was accompanied by the word ‘unsurprisingly’.
As per BBC News, it is believed that the tweet was referencing a row that erupted when pictures of Corbyn attending a wreath-laying ceremony at a Tunisian cemetery came to light.
The post has since been deleted, and Nickerson has since been suspended by the council’s Conservative group. He has also faced calls to stand down.
Commenting on the incident, Nickerson said:
I would like to apologise for a political tweet sent from my account yesterday which has been upsetting for some people and I unreservedly apologise to all concerned.
The minister later added, in a statement sent to the BBC, that his account had been ‘compromised’ by friends playing a prank.
He then explained that ‘as soon as I was able I deleted the comments’.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that Nickerson has since written to Corbyn, the former Labour party leader and MP for North Islington, to apologise.
In his email to Corbyn, he took responsibility for the tweet and the distress is caused.
He said:
I recognise that as a politician you will be open to many lines of criticism but I feel this fell below the high standards others and especially you personally have demonstrated in your own communications.
The minister also acknowledged that the post will have caused particular offence in Liverpool both due to the recent attack and the local respect for Corbyn.
He added:
You have worked tirelessly not just for your own constituency but for many in Liverpool and as an advocate of the people of Liverpool they have rightly been upset and offended by this.
6 months agoFollowing this, East Riding Council leader Jonathan Owen said that offensive messages would not be tolerated, and confirmed that an investigation was now underway.
Nickerson has pledged to co-operate fully with the investigation.
If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm Saturday and Sunday.
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Jeremy Corbyn to take legal action over Tory councillor’s tweet on Liverpool attack
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