THE suspension of a Conservative councillor from all committees for allegedly using a ‘homophobic’ and offensive expression on social media has been confirmed.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough’s Council Forum imposed the penalty on Beardwood with Lammack’s Cllr Imtiaz Ali at its meeting last night (Thursday, July 28) without a vote.

He had been found guilty of breaching the council’s code of conduct by the borough’s Standards Committee earlier his month after the phrase appeared in a post on Facebook.

Cllr Ali and his ward colleague Michael Lee told the meeting of their ‘unhappiness’ at the decision by a specially-convened and independently-chaired hearing panel claiming its findings were ‘pre-determined’ and ‘politically motivated’.

The phrase was attached to a news story in September concerning allegations that married senior Labour MP Keith Vaz met with male prostitutes.

Cllr Ali has claimed he did not personally create the post and disputed the meaning of the expression which, while being offensive in Hindi, has a homophobic meaning in Punjabi slang.

The committee decided that while he had used the expression in the Hindi rather than Punjabi sense, he should be suspended from all committee positions because of its offensive nature in the context of the post.

The panel decided Cllr Ali had breached the borough’s code of conduct which forbids bringing the council into disrepute by ‘being abusive to any person’.

It recommended banning him from membership of any committee for 12 months and giving him training on his future conduct. The penalty was accepted by Conservative group leader John Slater.

Cllr Ali told the meeting: “I am extremely disappointed at the decision and believe it was predetermined and politically motivated.

“It ignores the evidence put before the committee by expert translators.”

Cllr Lee said: “I am extremely unhappy about this decision."

Standards Committee chairman Tasleem Fazal said: “I am disappointed that comments have been made about the decision being political. It is insulting to all those involved in the process.”

Cllr Ali was a member of the borough council’s Planning and Highways and Licensing Committee.