TORY and independent councillors have rejected a call to condemn Moray MP Douglas Ross for claiming he wanted to crackdown on Gypsies and Travellers.
Ross, who spent nine years on Moray Council, said the move would be his number one priority if he were prime minister for a day.
The comments sparked outcry from anti-racism campaigners and provoked strong public condemnation.
But yesterday a move to distance the local authority from Ross’s remarks was rejected at a meeting of the full council.
The decision came on the same day the body appointed an equalities champion.
At the Elgin meeting, Councillor George Alexander, leader of the Independent-Tory administration, called the SNP motion a “distraction” and “political baiting” based on “old news”. It was defeated by 14 votes to nine in favour of a watered-down statement which retained the original motion’s commitment to equality and diversity.
Councillor Dave Bremner, who proposed the motion of condemnation, commented: “Standing up for equalities for all should never be viewed as ‘political’. Equalities are a human right.
“This isn’t the Moray I recognise, nor is it a version of Moray that any of us should accept.
“A tolerant, welcoming version of Moray is the one I believe exists, and it is the one we should all strive to uphold.”
By backing the original motion, councillors would have been “distancing Moray Council from, and condemning the comment of, the former member of this council and current MP” in an interview this summer.
Defending Ross, Tory leader Ruth Davidson said his comments were based on his experience during his time as councillor for the Fochabers-Lhanbryde ward.
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