Tory Former Mayor Suspended for Sharing 'Racist' Joke About Benefit Claimants on Facebook

Tory former mayor has been suspended from her party for sharing a "racist" joke about welfare claimants on Facebook.

The post shared by Rosemary Carroll suggested benefits would be dished out to a dog who is "brown, stinks and has never worked a day in his life".

The member of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, who was the area's mayor until last month, did not write the joke and insisted she shared it accidentally.

But the post prompted a complaint by a flabbergasted resident and today she was suspended from the local Conservative party.

Pendle Council's Tory group leader Joe Cooney told the Mirror: "We had a meeting with the association chairman this morning.

"Rosemary Carroll has been suspended from both the group and the party pending an investigation."

The Mirror was sent screenshots of the post by a furious resident who called it "derogatory and racist".

It said: "I took my dog to the dole office to see what he was entitled to. The bloke behind the counter said ‘you idiot, we don’t give benefits to dogs’.

Cllr Carroll, who represents Earby on Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, is now listed as an independent and her Facebook account seems to have disappeared following the allegations.