Party acts after Robert Oulds was pictured posing with machine guns

The Conservative party have confirmed that they are to remove Robert Oulds as their parliamentary candidate for Slough.

He was removed from the candidates list after a meeting with Conservative deputy party chairman Andrew MacKay today.

Cllr. Oulds represents the Chiswick Homefields ward

Mr MacKay said today: “This was a serious error of judgment which was unacceptable in a parliamentary candidate."

Mr Oulds is denying that he had done anything against the law and is taking legal advice on various issues. He says he will continue to represent his constituents as a councillor.

The Chiswick councillor has been pictured posing with a range of weapons including a AK-47 and a hunting knife. The images, which were taken on a camera phone were later published on the internet.

Cllr. Oulds aged 28, who works for the Bruges Group, is the local party spokesman on crime issues and has traditionally taken a tough line. He has worked with the police on a range of initiatives and was the subject of a row last year when he alleged that the ruling Labour group on Hounslow Council had excluded him from a key police consultative group.

Cllr. Patrick Edwards, who became involved in a bitter dispute with Cllr. Oulds over the issue, said, "The sight of Cllr Oulds reclining like a centre fold model and drooling over this arsenal of destruction sends a chill down my spine. Its not surprising coming from the party that has made Tony Martin its patron saint. ‘The Tories should bite the bullet and dismiss this disgraceful man from its ranks. Cllr Oulds I am sure can provide the ammunition."

He told the Sun newspaper that the photos were taken at the house of a friend who was a member of the Conservative Association who is a member of a licensed gun club and that all the weapons pictured were legally held.

The Sun has published an editorial demanding his sacking describing him as 'totally unsuitable for public office.'

January 19, 2005