The leader of the county council has backed one of his cabinet members after "vile" comments he made in an email were made public.

Cllr Wayne Briggs has faced multiple calls to resign after he said in an email the Pride movement has been "hijacked by groomers and mentally ill men".

The email was shared by Warwickshire Pride yesterday (June 17) with the group saying it has submitted a code of conduct complaint and contacted the police.

However, in a statement to Nub News today, leader of Warwickshire County Council (WCC), Cllr George Finch, said he stands by his fellow Reform UK member.

"I have spoken to Cllr Wayne Briggs about the email that has been published online," Cllr Finch said.

"Cllr Briggs was expressing a personal view in private correspondence.

"That email was not an agreed statement of Warwickshire County Council or the administration.

"One of our core tenets at Reform UK is freedom of speech and our councillors are real people who speak plainly and wear their hearts on their sleeves.

"There are legitimate issues worthy of debate around safeguarding where children are involved. These are legitimate issues for elected councillors to raise and discuss.

"Cabinet positions will not be determined by online pressure or trial by social media.

"Cllr Briggs has my confidence to continue in his role. He is a hardworking councillor who cares deeply about children and families across Warwickshire."

What was said?

The email was sent on Monday 8 June by Cllr Briggs to WCC chair Cllr Dale Keeling as well as other Reform UK councillors at WCC.

It was sent in response to the chair's decision to allow the Pride flag to hang from a council-owned building in Warwick.

Cllr Keeling agreed to let the flag fly from a single flagpole at Old Shire Hall, Northgate Street, around the corner from the main council building, after councillors from multiple other parties called for it to be allowed this month.

The email said: "I'm disappointed however that you seem to have bowed to concerted pressure from a coalition of left-wing councillors and agreed to their request to put the 'pride flag' up.

"Personally I'm, all for live and let live, but this movement has been hijacked by groomers, and mentally ill men in dresses gyrating in front of children and pushing a delusion that you can somehow change from 'male' to 'female' or vice versa if you're unhappy with your own body.

"This is dangerous ideology.

"It is not something I agree with, so the flag certainly doesn't represent me, the residents who voted for me or the vast majority that voted for any of us on the centre-right.

"We can see the degradation of our society before our eyes and I believe it is our duty to promote the 'nuclear family' and all the benefits that brings to children, their parents and wider society.

"I request therefore that you continue to refuse the request and you make it clear we're all united behind you."

Backlash

Warwickshire Pride shared the email alongside a statement calling for Cllr Briggs - who is the portfolio holder for children and families, and for education - to apologise and to resign.

The group said: "From a sitting councillor, this is completely unacceptable, a clear breach of the code of conduct and principles of public life, and a hate crime that must be dealt with."

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats - the main opposition group at Shire Hall - have also condemned the portfolio holder's words, labelling the email '"vile".

The group said the comments were "incompatible" with his responsibility for some of the most vulnerable young people in Warwickshire.

Cllr Sarah Boad, local Lib Dem leader, said: "This language is vile and dehumanising, and it has no place in public life, let alone from the councillor charged with protecting our children.

"When the portfolio holder responsible for their care decides one kind of family is the only model worth promoting and the rest are symptoms of a society in decline, every child who falls outside that ideal is being told they are second best by the very person meant to look after them.

"Residents are entitled to ask plainly whether a councillor who holds these views can make fair and impartial decisions for every child and family in the county.

"They deserve confidence that all of those children are served by someone who sees their worth without reservation, and Councillor Briggs has forfeited it."

The group said it supported Warwickshire Pride in referring the matter to the police and submitting a code of conduct complaint.

Briggs' defence

In a statement to Nub News today, Cllr Briggs has defended his statement, but reiterated it was his personal view, not that of the council or its administration.

"I am aware that a private email I sent has been published online and that complaints have been made about it," he said.

"That email was not a statement issued by Warwickshire County Council, nor was it an agreed statement made by the administration or in my capacity as a portfolio holder. It was a private email expressing my personal views to Reform colleagues and the chairman of the council.

"I stand by the concerns I raised and will not be offering an apology. I believe there are serious and legitimate questions about political neutrality in council buildings and the importance of protecting children and maintaining parental confidence.

"However, I fully accept that if I were speaking publicly as a portfolio holder or issuing a formal statement on behalf of the council, I would use different language.

"We at Warwickshire County Council serve all residents. My concern is not about denying services to anyone or treating any resident unfairly. It is about the promotion of gender reassignment, particularly in council spaces and services used by families.

"I will cooperate fully with any process that may arise from any complaints that are submitted and will not be commenting further."