A CALL has been made for the former chair of Cornwall Council to stand down from her council seat in a row over comments she made about “young black males flooding our country”.

Pauline Giles, the Cornwall councillor for St Blazey, has already quit the Conservative Party over her comments in support of a petition by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

Cllr Giles shared the petition on Facebook and wrote: “If you want mass deportation of illegals in dinghies, sign this petition! We cannot sustain the volume of young black males flooding our country. It jeopardises the security of our country and is slowly bankrupting us!”

The comments drew sharp criticism from other political parties.

Cllr Giles, responding to the pressure she was under, apologised for her online post and resigned from her party.

She posted: “I understand that I singularly mentioned one race and colour in my personal Facebook post, which was wrong, I should have said those illegally entering our country. I sincerely apologise to anyone who I have offended.

“In order to put blue water between myself and my fellow Conservative councillors, who had no input in my post, I have resigned from the Conservative Party with immediate effect. I shall now be an independent non-aligned councillor and continue to do my best for the residents of St Blazey.”

However, some felt this move does not go far enough.

Tom Scott, co-ordinator of the Cornwall Green Party, said: “We would suggest that Cllr Giles needs to put clear water not just between herself and her former Tory colleagues but between herself and Cornwall Council, and that the best way to do this would be to stand down as a councillor. Her continued presence there is a stain on the council's reputation.”

Mr Scott said earlier: “The comments posted on Facebook by Cllr Giles, in support of a petition by Reform reject MP Rupert Lowe, are utterly shameful.

“Her hateful comments are incredibly hurtful to our black and migrant communities and those seeking asylum.”

Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, had responded to Cllr Giles’s original post by saying: “In the 1960s a young black male came to this country. He spent the next 40 years dedicating his life to our RAF and NHS. His children became teachers, nurturing the next generation on to a better life. His grandson is now your MP for St Austell and Newquay.”

Mr Law wrote to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch over the issue, before Cllr Giles resigned from the party. He said: “I have written to Kemi Badenoch to ask her to consider whether Ms Giles should have any place in the Conservative Party.”

Mr Law, who called this time a ”dark disgusting period of old-fashioned racism”, has welcomed Cllr Giles’s resignation and apology.

Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire said of the original post by Cllr Giles: “This is vile and blatant racism from a sitting Conservative councillor. Racism has absolutely no place in our country or in Cornish politics.”