A CONSERVATIVE councillor has been suspended after being accused of having links with a white supremacist and far-right organisation.

An investigation by campaign group Hope Not Hate claimed that Tim Wills from Worthing Borough Council sent private messages in a Telegram chat group for nationalist organisation Patriotic Alternative.

Hope Not Hate claimed he joined a regional internet group chat for the fascist group in June this year.

Hope Not Hate describes the organisation as "a racial nationalist and fascist organisation that seeks the removal of ethnic minorities from the UK."

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said: “Cllr Tim Wills has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.”

Patriotic Alternative was formed in 2019 by the former director of publicity of the BNP Mark Collett. The group promote white nationalism, with some members supporting Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories around “white genocide” and claims that the LGBTQ+ community are a danger to children.

Worthing Borough Council and Cllr Wills have been contacted for comment.

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