Top Rochdale councillor accused of making 'homophobic' Facebook comment to election candidate

A leading Labour councillor has been accused of leaving a ‘homophobic’ Facebook comment beneath a picture of a Conservative election candidate. Jordan Short, who has a dyed blonde fringe, posted a shot of himself proudly donning his blue rosette to the popular social media site.

In a now deleted post, Councillor John Blundell - Rochdale council’s economy chief - responded by asking ‘did you get a pair of knickers with that haircut?'. Mr Short, standing for the Tories in West Middleton, said he felt the remark was a ‘personal attack’.

“I don’t think that’s how things should be handled,” he said. “I think it was definitely a bullying tactic to try and get a reaction out of me. I feel the comment was made to try to make me react and say something back to him, basically.”

READ MORE : All the candidates standing in the Rochdale council local elections 2022 by ward

The 29-year-old is heterosexual but said he was upset by the post. He added: “I found it offensive the way it came across because it implied something in it, where it was either homophobic or transphobic, with regards to 'should I have knickers on with that haircut'."

Mr Short has reported the incident to the police and GMP has confirmed it has opened an investigation into communications ‘with intent to cause distress or anxiety’. He and Rochdale Conservative group are now demanding a ‘full public apology’ from Coun Blundell.

Coun Blundell has been contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service , but declined to comment. A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Any complaints received are taken seriously and investigated in line with party rules."

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