'I am no racist': Young Conservative explains tweets that got him kicked out of Tory party

Jay Daniel found himself in hot water after tweets in which he condoned the use of a racial slur and he said the Islamic faith "relishes" in preaching hate were widely shared on the internet.

Speaking to The Gazette, he said the posts had been taken "out of context" and that he would "never condone" racism.

In a series of follow-up posts he tried to clarify the statements, which were condemned by Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis.

Mr Daniel, an admin executive for Young Conservatives in Blackpool, said: "I myself have been a victim of racism, and this is not something I would ever condone.

"To imply racist intent, when intent was not there, undermines genuine racism, which as a victim myself, is shameful."

He said he had been trying to have a debate over the use of terms used to refer to people from different countries of origin "just like someone from Britain can be referred to as a Brit".

He added that he did not want people from certain ethnic backgrounds "to have their heritage diminished because of the actions of the select, racist, few who choose to hijack an abbreviation of someone’s origin to belittle them", saying it was "wrong and frankly disgusting".

He also said he felt he had been targeted online for his political beliefs after his comments were "selectively" shared by left wing groups, including Labour candidate for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Chris Webb.

He said: "I think the outrage is caused because I am Conservative, and for that reason only."

Mr Webb previously said: “I was shocked and appalled to read disgusting racist and Islamophobic comments from a senior member of Blackpool North and Cleveleys Conservative party.

"Their comments and hatred have no place in our community and they should be ashamed of themselves. Blackpool is a tolerant and accepting town and I don’t believe that these views represent the good people of our town.”

Abdul Hamid Qureshi, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said the comments were “very distressing”.

He said the racial slur used "has been a derogatory term for quite some time and is well understood by many to be deeply offensive so there is absolutely no excuse".

In one tweet, Mr Daniel said: "Preaching hate is dangerous and your religion (Islam) relishes in it."

He told The Gazette claims that he is Islamophobic are "simply not true".

He said: "While I am critical of Islam, I do not fear Muslims or have any prejudice against those who follow the religion.

"I’m not just critical of one religion, but them all."

Following the online outrage over Mr Daniel's tweets, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a former co-chairman of the Conservative party, called for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia.

She said that a "racist slur I grew up with" was "now being justified" by Mr Daniel.

Party chairman Mr Lewis responded on the social media site by saying: "This individual is no longer a member of the Conservative party. We unequivocally condem the views expressed by this individual."