A local Conservative party is investigating a tweet from the account of a candidate in the local elections that said 16-year-old girls have a “buttery, creamy” smell, The Independent can reveal.
A post on the Twitter account of Jonty Campbell, who has stood several times for Preston Conservatives, said: “Here’s the thing with girls 22 or under, they smell massively different to a girl of 28. Girls aged 16 to, say 23, have this buttery, creamy, slightly sweet smell that is unbelievably magnetic.”
The tweet, sent on Saturday night, was met with disgust online after a screengrab of it was shared by a journalist.
Andrew Pratt, chair of Preston Conservatives said: “The current tweet from [@CmdrJonty] is being investigated and a further statement will follow. This language and opinion about women and girls is completely unacceptable.”
Mr Campbell has contested seats on Preston Council for the Conservatives five times in recent elections and byelections, most recently coming second to Labour in Ribbleton ward last month.
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On Sunday he was listed on the Preston Conservatives website as the branches deputy-campaign chair but on Monday morning his listing was no longer there.
The Twitter account, @CmdrJonty, was also gone on Monday morning.
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The local Labour party branch said Mr Campbell had a history of saying strange things.
A Preston Labour spokesperson said: “Anyone who knows Jonty takes anything he says with a very large pinch of salt, he has a history of bizarre political and non-political social media posts – but this one is creepy in the extreme.
“We cannot understand why the local Tories keep selecting him and others whose views are on the extremes of society.”
Preston Labour said they were blocked by @CmdrJonty after the tweet in question.
The tweet was originally sent in reply to an account that had tweeted about a man leaving his partner for a 22-year-old Ukrainian refugee.
The local debacle comes as the Conservative party faces scrutiny of inappropriate behaviour among MPs.
Last month, Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, resigned after admitting to watching porn on his phone in the House of Commons.
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David Warburton had the Conservative whip withdrawn after allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use emerged.
The party has also been rocked by the conviction of Imran Khan for child sexual offences, while another Tory MP was suspended last week after being arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.