Tory councillor recorded saying white men should have black slaves
A former Conservative councillor who was recorded saying that every white man should have a black slave has been banned from public office for four years.
Andrew Edwards, who was a Tory councillor on Pembrokeshire county council in Wales, was heard making the comments in a 16-second WhatsApp voice clip.
He referred himself to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales when it emerged but claimed the recording may have been a ' deep fake ' hoax.
However, he has now been banned for four years from standing as a council candidate after the watchdog ruled that it was his voice.
In the clip, Mr Edwards said: 'Nothing wrong with the skin colour at all. I think all white men should have a black man as a slave or black woman as a slave, you know.
'There's nothing wrong with skin colour, it's just that they're lower class than us white people, you know.'
The clip, apparently sent to a former partner, was forwarded anonymously to Rhian Young, the monitoring officer at Pembrokeshire county council.
Ms Young recognised the voice as that of Mr Edwards.
Councillor 'failed to show respect to others'
The matter was referred by the Ombudsman to the Adjudication Panel for Wales, which considers serious cases of alleged misconduct involving councillors in Welsh local authorities.
Mr Edwards was suspended by the Conservative Party after the recording surfaced and continued in office as an independent, but later resigned.
In a statement issued at the time, he said: 'Family matters have made my position as a county councillor untenable.
'I have therefore decided to resign from the council, as I feel unable to carry out my duties to the standard I would wish at this time.
'This has not been an easy decision, but I believe it is in the best interests of those I represent.'
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