Lib Dem candidate sorry for calling village 'most inbred in Britain'

07 January 2024 , 12:56

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Jemma Joy will challenge a former Tory minister in the general election

A Lib Dem general election candidate is facing criticism after calling a North East village “inbred”.

Jemma Joy said about Skinningrove village: “Skinningrove…urgghh. Possible contender for most inbred village in Britain.” Ms Joy laughed off the post, which was from 2010, when it circulated on social media last year. She told TeessideLive she was being sarcastic about the village she had grown up in. Some criticised the resurgence of the post as "dirty politics".

Ms Joy has now apologised for the comment. “At the time I thought I was being edgy, funny, ironic when I wasn’t and I am reminded of that everyday by my children," she said. "I’d like to say to anybody from the village who was embarrassed, angry, and rightly so, I am really really sorry.”

Ms Joy is the Lib Dem candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. The seat is currently held by former Tory minister Simon Clarke, who has a majority of 11,626.

The Tory MP told the Sun: “I was shocked to read about Ms Joy’s slur on my constituents in Skinningrove - you won’t find a more decent or more generous community anywhere in the country. While a certain amount of village rivalry is a fun part of life in East Cleveland, this wasn’t the tone of these remarks.

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“It’s right Cllr Joy has apologised, but I doubt Grovers are impressed. The Lib Dems too often preach kindness but practice disdain for people who don’t share their archly middle class world view.”

Independent councillor Barry Hunt, who asked Ms Joy to apologise for the comment, told the newspaper: "She's done everything I asked for. It was a thing that just had to be settled and she did that." But he added that the resurgence of the post was a case of "dirty politics". "What it comes down to at the end of the day is someone trying to discredit someone. As far as I'm concerned it was used in a political way, it's all to do with the politics of standing to be an MP," he said.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: "Jemma Joy has apologised, she grew up there. We agree with local resident Barry Hunt, this is 'dirty politics' to dredge this up.”

Sophie Huskisson