‘Poisonous little toad’ jibe gets Tory leader Ross Mackinnon in hot water

The leader of the West Berkshire Council Tory group is up before a standards in public office committee this week – after insulting a fellow councillor.

The complaint centres around a WhatsApp messaging group in which Ross Mackinnon called Green Party candidate Steve Masters a ‘poisonous little toad’.

The messages then carried support of violence. “I see we are choosing violence today. Love to see it,” said one, which the Conservative leader defended as humour.

At the time, councillor Masters was a Green Party councillor representing the ward of Newbury Speen.

“It has been alleged that this is just ‘humour’,” added Mr Masters.

“I find this astonishing, and am absolutely unable to see the joke. I am not alone.

“Two serving MPs have been murdered in the course of their duties.

“The atmosphere in the country is already febrile and divided. That anyone would ‘joke’ about ‘choosing violence’ is deeply concerning and reprehensible.”

Mr Mackinnon was asked to apologise, but didn’t, so the council appointed an independent investigator, whose report, which goes before the specially convened governance committee, describes his words as “childish and totally inexcusable”.

Mr Mackinnon was the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for the Reading West and Mid Berks seat at July’s General Election, which was won by Labour.

He faces two complaints for his conduct in the run up to the May 2023 local council elections – and now he will stand before a specially convened governance committee to defend himself.

“There is absolutely no question that my comment referred to, encouraged, incited, or even joked about, physical violence against any person or group of persons,” he told the investigator.

He acknowledged that ‘poisonous little toad’ was not a very kind description and not one he would use in public but said this was a purely private discussion and he emphasised that there had been a long history of vitriolic provocation on the part of the Greens.

He emphasised that the WhatsApp group had no connection with the council as such, saying it was a private group to facilitate discussion and sharing of information about the forthcoming election campaign.

A complaint dated March 23, 2023, was received from the then councillor Masters concerning an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct. (Mr Masters lost his seat in the 2023 council election.)

“He has engaged in behaviour which can clearly be regarded as bullying or intimidation, and the subsequent release of this material to the public has clearly brought the council, and his office, into disrepute,” claims Mr Masters.

Mr Mackinnon is a Conservative councillor representing Bradfield and is currently the leader of the opposition and shadow portfolio holder for strategy and communications, finance, corporate services, regeneration, growth and strategy development.

The complaint was considered by the assessment sub-committee of West Berkshire Council’s governance committee on April 13, 2023, which determined that the matter be dealt with via an informal resolution, namely that Mr Mackinnon apologised.

But he didn’t, so the council appointed an independent investigator to look into it and that investigator found that there was evidence of a breach of the Code of Conduct as Mr Mackinnon failed “to show courtesy or respect to the complainant”.

The investigator said the insult used by Mr Mackinnon towards Mr Masters was “childish and totally inexcusable” and he had “conducted himself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing his office and his council into disrepute”.

His report will be put to the governance committee on Thursday (August 29).

Should the governance committee determine that there is a breach of the Code of Conduct, then they must consider the sanctions available which include a formal letter from the standards committee, removing him from committees – although this is done via the group leader, and as he is the group leader this is unclear.

They could also do a formal censure via a motion to the council and demand a resolution – such as an apology.