Suspended Labour councillor arrested over video ‘urging people to cut throats’

Ricky Jones addressed a crowd in Walthamstow, north-east London, on Wednesday. Photograph: Dartford Labour

A suspended Labour councillor has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging murder after a video emerged in which he appeared to call for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut.

Ricky Jones, who was a councillor in Dartford, Kent, was filmed making the call at a counter-demonstration in Walthamstow on Wednesday evening. He has also been arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act following the incident on Wednesday evening, the Metropolitan police said.

In a statement on X, in which a link to the original video was given, the force said: “Officers have arrested a man aged in his 50s at an address in south-east London.

“He was held on suspicion of encouraging murder and for an offence under the Public Order Act. He is in custody at a south London police station.”

Jones was among thousands of protesters in east London who took to the streets campaigning against racism and violence.

A few protesters held placards that read: “Smash fascism and racism by any means necessary.”

In a video apparently filmed on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, Jones said: “They are disgusting Nazi fascists and we need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.”

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, posted the footage to his X account and asked: “Why has #TwoTierKeir not taken action?”

A Labour spokesperson said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated. The councillor has been suspended from the party.” Jones will no longer be able to sit on the Labour benches during Dartford borough council meetings.

His suspension came as the newly elected Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards, said she “deeply regrets” posting a series of “racist” tweets between 2009 and 2011.

In one post, Edwards wrote: “I want these fucking Estonian retards out of my flat now!” Another post, which appeared to be responding to an account called Baroness Wrenthorpe, said: “Baroness Wrenthorpe text me from Walthamstow to say he’s seen a halal Pakistani Chinese Grill place. Hope he’s not suggesting we go there.”

The tweets were posted between 2009 and 2011, and Edwards has said she made a “significant error of judgment”. In a statement, Edwards said: “I have recently been made aware of a small number of tweets that I posted on Twitter from over a decade ago, which I now deeply regret.

“They were a significant error of judgment on my part, and I apologise wholeheartedly. Since becoming a local councillor and more recently an MP, I have seen first-hand the importance of bringing communities together and working with tolerance and respect for all in our society.”

Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s national executive committee, said on X: “We missed these tweets on due diligence – I recall ‘retard’ as a key search word. I propose an away day at the ‘halal Pakistani Chinese Grill place’ to investigate what the craic is as on face value it seems a bit racist.”

Labour has been approached for comment on Edwards’ tweets.