Lib Dem candidate resigns over offensive web comments

A Lib Dem parliamentary candidate who posted a series of lewd and personal attacks on a political website has been forced to resign.

Greg Stone, the party's candidate for the Newcastle East parliamentary constituency, made the comments on the Guido Fawkes political blog under the pseudonym 'Inamicus'.

Among numerous offensive comments about government ministers and MPs, Stone described foreign secretary David Miliband as looking "monged" and suggested that Hazel Blears was 'on Botox'.

Women MPs were singled out for particularly harsh treatment, with Anne McIntosh - against whom Mr Stone stood in 2001 - Theresa May and Theresa Villiers all coming under fire for their dress sense.

Others targeted were Labour MPs Sharon Hodgson, who was described as the "thickest MP in the House" and Roberta Blackman-Woods who was called a "sour-faced b****".

Responding in the local Sunday Sun newspaper, Ms Hodgson said: “People shouldn’t be fooled by the nice party image, they (Lib-Dems) can have a real nasty streak when they want to.”

The Daily Telegraph comments that the episode is particularly embarrassing for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, since he and most of the Lib Dem shadow cabinet have backed Mr Stone by visiting his Newcastle campaign in the past year.

Mr Stone also claimed on numerous occasions to be an adviser to the Lib Dem leadership.

Despite his resignation as a parliamentary candidate, Newcastle newspaper The Journal writes that Mr Stone still intends to stand for re-election to Newcastle City Council in May.