Oxfordshire councilor quits Conservative Party after retweet

Kevin Bulmer, who currently sits as an independent Goring county councilor, has left the Conservative Party altogether after being criticized for retweeting a Britain First Party post from March.

The post referred to an “Islamist tenant” who he claimed wanted to “invade us and replace our culture with savagery.”

The councilor also faced criticism in February 2023 after he targeted the Church of England in a harsh social media post, calling them “woke muppets” and “t***s” over gender language reforms.

Kevin Bulmer. (Image: Oxfordshire Conservatives.)

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He was suspended from a Conservative group after retweeting an “Islamist tenant” in March, with Oxfordshire party leader Eddie Reeves saying an investigation “is ongoing”.

However, as of May 16, Bulmer is no longer a member of the party.

Speaking to us, Goring’s representative said: ‘I stepped down because I was not happy with the way I was treated by the Conservative Party.

“It was my decision to resign. I got the impression that I was just a nuisance to them and they wanted me to leave.

“It was completely unfair – because of one mistake it was funny – and because of one unintentional mistake.

“I have been on the county council for a long time – over 11 years – and whatever you have done in the past doesn’t seem to have made any difference.

County hall. (Photo: Ed Nix.)

“You can do 1,000 things right and no one cares – make one mistake and you’ll be buried alive.”

Following the decision, Conservative leader of the county council Eddie Reeves spoke out.

Reeves said: “Councillor Bulmer was suspended from his position as a Conservative Party councilor on March 4 pending the outcome of the hearing before the Conservative Party Disciplinary Panel, which ended on May 16.

“The panel consisted of three senior party members supported by an independent legal assessor.

“The process was fair, rigorous and robust and I am pleased with its conclusions, which are confidential between Cllr Bulmer and the Conservative Party.

“The Conservative Party expects the highest standards of conduct from its councilors. Councilor Bulmer failed to meet these standards and is no longer a Conservative councilor.

“Councilor Bulmer has the right to appeal the panel’s decision and has chosen not to exercise that right.”

Eddie Reeves. (Photo: contribution.)

Speaking about the reaction of the Greens and Liberal Democrats to the tweet, Bulmer said: “I think they have been an embarrassment. They raised an issue that had nothing to do with them.

“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. It seemed to pass by this group.

“They just wanted to make political capital out of it, which is what liberals do.”

Britain First campaigns with an anti-immigration message, and in 2018 its leader Paul Golding and deputy leader Jayda Fransen were jailed for religious abuse.

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About the author

Noor is Oxfordshire’s local democracy reporter, covering political stories from across the county.

She started working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 after graduating from the University of Oxford.

Noor was educated at News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi