A Lanarkshire councillor has dismissed criticism regarding Tweets in which he labelled the monarchy a "national embarrassment" and stated the Queen had done "so little" during her reign.
Labour representative Martin Lennon made the social media remarks the day after the Queen's funeral, prompting a furious reaction from Conservative councillors in the region who labelled them "abhorrent".
However Councillor Lennon, who ironically represents the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen, has moved to dismiss the row and accused the Tories of a "bizarre" overreaction to his comments, in which also declared that King Charles III had "achieved nothing" in his life.
