Tattershall councillor denies claiming mayoral hopeful Dame Andrea Jenkyns 'slept her way through politics'
A councillor has denied claiming a mayoral candidate 'slept her way through politics'.
In a social media post, Greater Lincolnshire mayor hopeful Dame Andrea Jenkyns accused Coun Tom Ashton of making the slur.
Lincolnshire County Council’s sitting representative and Conservative candidate for Tattershall Castle in the upcoming county elections on Thursday, May 1, has categorically denied making or implying such remarks about the Reform UK candidate, whose fate will be decided at the ballots on the same day.
Ms Jenkyns – who served as an assistant Government whip during her time as an MP under Boris Johnson’s government – posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, alongside Reform UK’s Tattershall Castle candidate Sean Matthews and Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice.
In the caption, posted on Saturday, she wrote: “Please vote for Sean Matthews for Tattershall Castle.
“The Tory candidate, who I have known for many years, since I was a Lincolnshire County Councillor, spread lies saying I had slept my way through politics.”
Coun Ashton, who also sits on East Lindsey District Council, described the comments as ‘bizarre’ and believes she was referring to a message he sent to a WhatsApp group of East Lindsey Conservatives on Thursday, November 28, when Ms Jenkyns was announced as Reform UK’s candidate in the mayoral election.
In the message, he responded to the news writing: “This suggests, as we suspected, that Reform will target Lincolnshire.
“They will do so, however, with a prize turkey of a candidate who will first need to do a screeching reverse-ferret on 10 years of ‘Yorkshire lass’ schtick and re-identify as a Yellowbelly.
“Over the years, I have extended a charitable opinion of Andrea based upon little more than having known her when she was a branch officer in Boston, and respect for her career, which had progressed far with some luck and guile, but little discernible talent.
“What services she actually rendered to Boris’ government which deserved Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire will forever remain one of the higher mysteries of Boris’ Resignation Honours List.”
Coun Ashton added: “I was somewhat scathing, and I have long felt that her Damehood did much to tarnish the honours system I have always fought to defend, simply because her own record and achievements in public office fall a long way short of what is usually expected for that kind of award.
“Nine years as a backbencher and three months as a minister in the caretaker government. However, I made no mention of her sleeping with anyone.”
