A SCOTTISH Tory councillor’s tweet joking that Black Jack sweets may no longer be “allowed” given recent anti-racist demonstrations has been described as “utterly shameful” by an MP.

The SNP’s Hannah Bardell (below) flagged up Damian Timson’s post of the retro sweet with the caption: “Presume these are still allowed, not had for ages … how good are they?!”

It came after a handful of British comedy shows were removed from certain streaming sites following concerns over the use of blackface or racial slurs in episodes.

The National:

Little Britain was dropped from BBC iPlayer and Netflix following global anti-racism protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in the US. Creators David Walliams and Matt Lucas have since apologised for their portrayals of “characters of other races”. 

Meanwhile an episode of the 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers was removed from the BBC’s streaming service due to its use of “racial slurs” – but will be put back online with a warning highlighting the “potentially offensive content and language”.

The decision to remove certain programmes from the streaming services sparked backlash in the media and a so-called “culture war” – but some anti-racism protesters have stressed the focus on decades-old TV shows is distracting from the institutional racism issues they wish to highlight.

On Saturday, as “protectors” guarded UK monuments from vandalism from Black Lives Matter activists who had indicated certain statues with links to slavery and colonialism should be removed from public spaces, the West Lothian Council Tory group leader made the post.

This morning Livingston MP Bardell highlighted the tweet and said: “Look at the state of this from a @LoveWestLothian Conservative Councillor. Utterly shameful.

“There is absolutely no place for this rubbish in our society or community. The Council and Conservatives need to deal with him. #BlackLivesMatter.”

Meanwhile MSP Christina McKelvie commented that the post was a “disgrace”, and another Twitter user added: “I’ve got a sense of humour but this is no time for laughing.”

A council spokesperson said: “We have received no formal complaint regarding this issue. All complaints are dealt with in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Councillors. Compliance with the Code is the personal responsibility of each councillor and is enforced by the Standards Commission for Scotland.”

Timson and the Scottish Conservatives have been approached for comment.