OPPOSITION councillors are calling for a member of the ruling Conservative group to resign after posting an ‘inappropriate’ tweet about the Westminster sex scandal.

A heated exchange on Twitter between Sherborne St. John ward councillor, Cllr Tristan Robinson and the Basingstoke Labour Councillors Twitter account, has wound up with the Labour group calling for Cllr Robinson to step down.

The dispute came after Cllr Robinson commented on a widely-circulated list of 40 MPs which claimed members had behaved improperly or had relations with people working within Westminster politics.

Cllr Robinson tweeted: “Sex dossier is ridiculous. Includes couples in consenting normal relationships. Hardly ground-breaking & demeans claims of real abuse victims.”

This tweet enraged members of the Labour party saying Cllr Robinson’s use of language was ‘shameful’.

Leader of the Basingstoke Labour group, Cllr Paul Harvey told The Gazette: “It is utterly inappropriate that a male local councillor is saying this.

“This is a very serious issue, which even the prime minister has said that the allegations need to be investigated properly.

“So for a local Conservative councillor to be dismissing and minimising what these brave woman are saying is disgraceful.”

However, Cllr Robinson believes that his tweet is being deliberately blown out of proportion following a heated full council meeting on October 26.

Cllr Robinson said: “I think this is them (the Labour group) reacting to anything they can.

“What I was saying is that there are people on that list who are in loving relationships, even in some cases having children with each other.

“So to include these names on this list detracts from genuine victims of sexual abuse who have been extremely brave to come forward.

“This is not something that I, or any member of the Conservative party, is taking lightly and we have seen that by the actions of the prime minister.” 

He added: "This should be about victims of sexual abuse. Including people on a ‘sex dossier’ who are in consensual, loving relationships, some with children, devalues the claims of real victims. Victims like Bex Bailey, whose alleged rape the Labour Party attempted to institutionally cover up”