Labour group leader on Bury Council attacks Royals as "parasites"

1.30pm update on Sunday:

Tory MP Andrew Percy has issued the following statement:

"Comments like this show how out of touch Labour politicians are with the rest of the country. While most people are pleased for the royal couple, and looking forward to next year, this is frankly disrespectful. Ed Miliband needs to distance himself from this councillor's comments."

By Jonathan Isaby

I am grateful to several councillors in Bury for exposing the outrageous and offensive comments that Mike Connolly (pictured), the Labour group leader on their council, has made about our Royal family.

Lib Dem councillor Tim Pickstone has recorded what Cllr Connolly wrote on Facebook on hearing of the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton:

"The Royal Family have no relevance at all... Will these multi-millionaire parasites be paying for their own wedding?”

Tory councillor in Bury, Sam Hurst, has blogged about the incident too and certainly speaks for me when he says:

"As a civic leader who is expected to uphold the virtues of tolerance, sensibility and decorum, and one who must represent all of his constituents and not a few, I think that Cllr Mike Connolly, East Ward, should withdraw his disgraceful, uncalled for attack immediately."

Last December a Labour council candidate was sacked for comparing the idea of marking the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 to "celebrating vermin".

Will Cllr Connolly be similarly disciplined?