Warwickshire councillor under pressure to resign over Pride comments

A Warwickshire County Councillor is defying calls to resign over comments made in an email about the Pride movement.

Councillor Wayne Briggs (Reform UK, Arbury) is the portfolio holder for children and families, education and special educational needs and disabilities.

The comments objected to the rainbow-coloured Pride flag being flown from council buildings in the county.

Cllr Briggs added: "The flag certainly doesn’t represent me, the residents who voted for me, or the vast majority that voted for any of us on the centre-right.”

“We can see the degradation of our society before our eyes and I believe it is our duty to promote the ‘nuclear family’ and all the benefits that brings to children, their parents and wider society.”

The email was published on social media by Warwickshire Pride, the county’s leading organisation representing the LGBTQ+ community.

They have called on Cllr Briggs to resign and to apologise "clearly being transphobic in his email” that amounted to “hate speech”.

It was confirmed Warwickshire Pride had reported the matter to Warwickshire Police and filed a complaint with Warwickshire County Council, adding: “This is completely unacceptable, a clear breach of the code of conduct and principles of public life and a hate crime that must be dealt with.”

Cllr Briggs has said he won't be offering an apology.

A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said: "We received a report of an email on 17 June.

"It has been logged as an incident.

"We’re currently making arrangements and will be speaking to the informant to get more details."