Candidates verifying votes at the Croydon council elections last week

‘Dumb’ people shouldn’t be allowed to vote says former Tory councillor

‘Dumb’ people shouldn’t be allowed to vote says former Tory councillor

A Conservative councillor has lashed out at her former constituents, suggesting they are too stupid to vote.

Clare George-Hilley said she felt "let down" by people in Croydon, South London, who had voted for Labour instead.

"Feel very let down by people we have served for 8 years," she wrote on Facebook.

"We built them a new leisure centre, spent millions improving parks & roads and they vote for the opposition."

The one-time favourite of prime minister David Cameron suggested that her former constituents lacked sufficient intelligence to be allowed to vote.

"If people are so dumb that they don’t know the difference between a general or local election then they shouldn’t be able to vote," she added.

George-Hilley represented her local ward in Waddon until last week, but did not stand for re-election.

Croydon council passed back into Labour hands at the local elections, with the Labour party gaining seven seats across the borough.

Among the seven newly elected Labour councillors was the former Conservative MP for Croydon Central, Andrew Pelling.

Pelling defected to Labour after falling out with his party before the last general election.

Former Conservative council leader Mike Fisher last week blamed the party's defeat on the rise of Ukip.

"The annoying thing here is that Ukip have lots of votes but no seats. Many of those Ukip voters are Conservatives and they will be horrified to wake up this morning to a Labour council," he said.