Eastbourne Tory candidate steps downs due to ‘Bomb Bristol’ tweet

An Eastbourne Conservative candidate for the upcoming elections has stood down due to a tweet he put out suggesting Bristol should have been bombed during last weekend’s ‘Kill the Bill’ demonstrations.
By India Wentworth
Published 24th Mar 2021, 09:55 BST
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Last weekend thousands of people took to the streets of Bristol to protest against the Police and Crime Bill. The demonstrations turned violent and led to 21 police officers being injured.

In response to the protests Stephen Halbhuber, who was standing for the Conservative party in Eastbourne’s St Anthony’s ward in the county council elections in May, posted on his private Twitter account on Sunday night, ‘Just bomb Bristol’.

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Since this comment was made, many followers have said it was inappropriate and unbecoming for a political party candidate hoping to get elected.

Stephen Halbhuber SUS-210324-092700001Stephen Halbhuber SUS-210324-092700001
Stephen Halbhuber SUS-210324-092700001

Mr Halbhuber issued an apology the following day saying ‘I fell beneath that standard and can only apologise and promise to learn from my mistake’.

Despite this, he has now stood down as a candidate according to the Conservative party.

A spokesperson for the party said, “The comments by Stephen were completely unacceptable. We welcome his apology, and would like to apologise for any offence caused by the comments.

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“He has decided to stand down as a candidate in the upcoming county council elections.

“His membership has been suspended whilst an investigation into his comments takes place.”

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