A Tory councillor who called Ian Wright a “typical Black hypocrite” has resigned from the party.
Alexis McEvoy, who represented South Waterside for Hampshire County Council, made the racist comment on Twitter following Wright’s decision to not appear on BBC’s Match of the Day football highlights show in solidarity with Gary Lineker.
Lineker was removed from the show after he criticised the Government’s language when describing its controversial Illegal Migration Bill, legislation that they say will crack down on small boat crossings across the Channel.
Ms McEvoy sent the tweet out to hundreds of followers before deleting it and deactivating her Twitter profile.
She said she was “deeply sorry” for causing offence and that she finds “racism in any form abhorrent”.
Meet Alexis McEvoy the Conservative County Councillor for Hampshire CC & District Councillor for New Forest.@Conservatives pic.twitter.com/RmFAymUycN
— Dave 🌹 (@LutsandDefoe) March 14, 2023
She reported herself to the monitoring office at Hampshire County Council and New Forest District Council and was suspended from the council’s Conservative Group pending an investigation.
Ms McEvoy has since resigned from the Conservative Group at the County Council, the New Forest National Party Authority has confirmed.
“We can confirm that Cllr Alexis McEvoy is no longer a New Forest NPA Board member,” the group said in a statement.
“(On Friday) we received written confirmation that Cllr McEvoy has resigned from the Conservative Group at the County Council, from all her County Council committee appointments and from all her appointments to outside bodies.”
Ms McEvoy is also no longer a governor of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, according to JOE.
A spokesperson told JOE Ms McEvoy is being stood down from her voluntary role at the hospital while it investigates.
Speaking on his Wrighty’s House podcast, the former Arsenal and Crystal Palace striker told McEvoy to “keep your fake apology to yourself.”
New Forest District Council has previously said it “opposes all forms of discrimination, harassment and victimisation and takes its responsibilities very seriously to eliminate all such conduct when carrying out its functions and delivering services to our local community”.
