Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Why are we blocked on twitter by MP?

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TWO Kirklees councillor­s have said they are mystified why a new MP blocked them on Twitter.

Conservati­ves councillor­s Donna Bellamy and Gemma Wilson are both banned from communicat­ing with Colne Valley Labour MP Thelma Walker on the popular social media site.

Both say they have never sent any tweets whatsoever to the Colne Valley politician – a former headteache­r – so don’t understand why they are blocked.

Both were blocked in late April or May before Mrs Walker was elected but have decided to reveal their anger at the decision after she was elected, beating incumbent Tory, Jason McCartney, by just 915 votes.

Clr Bellamy says she was preemptive­ly blocked before she had even had a chance to communicat­e with Mrs Walker.

Clr Wilson said she’d “only ever been friendly” to Mrs Walker but still found she was blocked.

A third Tory, a parish councillor who does not want to be named, said she had also been blocked but was re-instated after she complained.

Clr Wilson, the Conservati­ve councillor for Lindley for the past two years, said: “I really don’t know why she’s done it.

“I’ve never been aggressive or rude and in fact have a good relationsh­ip with my Labour colleagues.

“If I’d ‘trolled’ her I’d understand, but I’ve done nothing wrong at all.

“I have blocked someone from her campaign team but only because of previous abuse I received years ago.

“But it’s uncomforta­ble behaviour in my eyes.”

Clr Bellamy, Conservati­ve member for the Colne Valley, said: “I would like to know why I’m blocked. “I’ve never even tweeted her.” Mrs Walker told the Examiner neither had been blocked since she was elected.

She dubbed the news as “mischief making” and said her predecesso­r Mr McCartney had been notorious for blocking Labour party activists in the Colne Valley.

Mrs Walker’s husband, Clr Rob Walker, Labour member for Colne Valley ward, said his wife had blocked all Kirklees Conservati­ves after they voted against a council motion to boost the NHS while at the same time campaignin­g to save HRI.

He said it was “nothing personal” against either Clr Wilson or Clr Bellamy.

And he revealed Mrs Walker had received some extremely abusive and threatenin­g tweets and so was New Labour MP Thelma Walker (main picture) is involved in a social media spat with Tory council duo Gemma Wilson (right, top) and Donna Bellamy very wary of Twitter.

The political row comes after pledges from Labour candidates about saving HRI’s A&E.

Mrs Walker’s campaign material said a vote for her was a vote to save Huddersfie­ld A&E.

But founder of the Let’s Save HRI group, Karl Deitch, said he had never seen Mrs Walker during the 18 months of campaignin­g he had led.

Mr Walker told the Examiner his wife had made attempts to contact Mr Deitch in recent days in a bid to begin working together.

He said she felt the schism that led to some members of Hands Off HRI splitting from Mr Deitch’s campaign, taking the campaign name with them, was a bad thing.

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