An ex-Labour council leader who referred to Rotherham child rape gang victims as “poor white trash” could keep his seat after the local authority voted to postpone its upcoming elections.

Dennis Jones resigned from his post on Peterborough City Council and apologised after his comments were revealed in September last year and now sits as an independent councillor serving the Dogsthorpe ward.

Though his seat was scheduled for re-election to May, it could be another year before Mr Jones faces a polling battle after the local authority agreed to postpone its elections until 2027.

Mr Jones made the comments last year during a late-night WhatsApp exchange with fellow councillor Daisy Blakemore-Creedon.

When she had raised concerns over immigration and women’s safety, Mr Jones responded saying: “Oh so white British cops f*****g poor white trash in Rotherham is OK, is it? Get a f*****g grip, Daisy.”

He then went on to accuse Ms Blakemore-Creedon of chasing “populist votes and attention”.

Mr Jones added: “I wish you no luck at all.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the comments at the time “truly abhorrent”, adding that “Peterborough is one of the 50 towns and cities identified as somewhere these disgusting rape gangs are believed to have operated”.

Mr Jones later “apologised wholeheartedly for the language”.

Ministers asked 63 councils in England, including Peterborough City Council, at the end of last year if they wanted to delay their elections so they could bed in a local government shake-up, which could impact around four million people.

The council voted unanimously this week to postpone its elections, saying it would “release essential capacity to deliver Local Government Reorganisation”.

Council leader, Councillor Shabina Qayyum, said: “There has been much commentary in recent days from fellow city councillors about their desire to see elections take place this year, with some omitting the important fact that the council is being asked to express a view on postponement for 12 months, not cancellation of the elections.

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“Let me be clear, expressing this view to Government is not about taking democracy away or cancelling elections, council is being asked for its views on postponement for one year, meaning local elections would instead take place in 2027.

“Elections are an essential part of the democratic process and many members, like myself, welcome the chance to go to the ballot box to give residents the chance to decide who they want to represent them.

“Therefore, Cabinet members have not taken this response to the question from Government lightly.

“We are looking after services that really do look after life and death scenarios as they attempt to navigate a path through Local Government Reorganisation.”

Reform UK is taking legal action against the Government over its plans for local elections, according to a High Court judge.

In a post on X on Friday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that 29 councils had asked to postpone ballots, which he claimed represented “3.9 million people across 591 council seats”.

The party is now taking legal action against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In a court order published on Friday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said that Reform UK was seeking an order temporarily blocking the Government from changing the date of forthcoming elections pending the hearing of the full legal challenge.

The judge continued that the issue of whether to grant a temporary block would be decided at a hearing on Tuesday, with Reform UK asking the court to determine the full claim before the end of March, when notices of election are published.