A Nottingham councillor has clarified a tweet in which she said that "nasty people got the MP they deserve" during the 2019 election in Ashfield. Councillor Sally Longford, who currently leads the energy, environment and waste portfolio at Nottingham City Council, was announced this month as one of 19 Labour councillors who will be stepping down at the next elections on May 4.
Ahead of her departure from the council, Councillor Longford has been reflecting on her time in local politics. In one tweet, posted on Tuesday morning (March 28), Councillor Longford spoke about her memories of campaigning for Labour during the 2019 general election in Ashfield.
She wrote: "The General Election 2019 was my grimmest experience in every way. We were told to go to Ashfield, there was lots of abuse on the doorstep, vandalism of Election HQ, a most depressing result and those nasty people got the MP they deserve."
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When asked specifically who she meant when using the "nasty people" phrase, Councillor Longford clarified to Nottinghamshire Live that she meant "the abusive ones." She said: "The nasty ones who for example called me a b**ch and other things on the doorstep. I thought it was quite clear to be honest."
Natalie Fleet was Labour's candidate for Ashfield during the 2019 election, which ended in the Conservative candidate Lee Anderson taking the seat. During the election, Nottinghamshire Police investigated reports of criminal damage after Labour's headquarters in Ashfield had its windows smashed.
Speaking about her future campaigning, Councillor Longford added: "No longer being a councillor means in 37 days no-one will be able to tell me to go anywhere! I won't be twinned. I could go to help candidates I like, in places without steep hills, on dry days only, freedom!"
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