Local Lib Dem MP calls for Tories to withdraw support from Town Council Candidate who posted horrific homophobic social media messages
Local Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon has called for the Conservatives to withdraw support from their candidate for the Duchy ward on Harrogate Town Council, Anthony Murphy. It has been uncovered that he has a history of posting homophobic comments on social media.
Mr Murphy social media posts labelled gay sex as depraved and disordered and he urged bishops to “purge this filth from the church”.
Commenting, Tom said:
I am horrified by the comments made by Mr Murphy. They are dreadful and should have no place in our political discourse. It is clear to me that he should not be a candidate for the Town Council. If he was elected, how would he be able to gain the trust of his LGTBQ constituents?
I am calling on the local Conservative party to suspend him, withdraw their support and effectively drop him as a candidate.
However, it seems that Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party have gone rogue. It is shocking that they selected a candidate who they knew had made these remarks.
Their response to these allegations was gobsmacking. I couldn’t believe they tried to defend Mr Murphy and his posts. It was insulting to local people and the wider LGTBQ community.
It shows how badly the Conservative Party has lost the plot.
They need to think again, apologise for their statement defending Mr Murphy and sack him as a candidate.
In a statement on their Facebook page Harrogate & Knaresborough Labour Party:
Harrogate and Knaresborough Constituency Labour Party are appalled by the homophobic and hateful comments made online by Anthony Murphy, Conservative Party Candidate for Duchy, which have come to light in recent days.
There should be no place for such comments or views in a decent society and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
We are extremely concerned that Harrogate Conservative Party appear to be standing by Mr Murphy and continuing to campaign for him.
The Tories must now do the right thing, urgently suspend Mr Murphy’s membership of the Conservative Party and withdraw support from his campaign.
The Labour Party will continue to fight against bigotry and hatred and stand up for the LGBT Community, both locally in Harrogate and Knaresborough and nationally.
Jonathan Swales, Reform UK, Branch Chairman, Harrogate:Whilst we do not comment on specific cases, it is a matter for each political party to decide how to verify and approve all their candidates before putting them forward for public office.
Update 16 April 2025:
Anthony Murphy said:
There are circulating some historic comments made at a time of intense debate and high emotion, generally in religious communities and particularly the Catholic Church.
I am a practicing catholic. Alongside many of my faith and of other faiths, I hold beliefs about the nature of marriage that lead me to oppose same-sex marriage. I uphold a specific religious definition of marriage rather than any animosity or prejudice towards gay people.
When the same sex marriage legislation was the centre of national debate my church was very exercised. So was I. The comments I made then reflect that. But they are not my views now. I have changed, and those comments could not be further away from my views now. When I look back on those comments I find it hard to recognise myself and can understand other people’s views on them.
I spoke with the local Conservative Party before my selection and we discussed the comments and I made clear that my views are long changed. It is not just in words but in both words and deeds I show my current views. I have demonstrated it by going out campaigning for LGBT candidates who are friends I want to see elected.
Past views are just that, the past. If I were to be elected, I would proudly represent our whole community and be a strong voice for everyone within.
