Ex-Kettering mayor suspended over war veteran claim

A former mayor of Kettering has been suspended by the Tories after war veterans questioned his claim of being an ex-paratrooper.
Matt Lynch.Matt Lynch.
Matt Lynch.

Matt Lynch, who was mayor in 2005, is standing for the party in the St Helen’s ward in Hastings, where he now lives.

He said he served as a paratrooper for 12 years as part of his online biography - but Hastings Falklands veterans have cast doubt on his service record.

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His profile has now been removed from the local Conservative party website.

Mr Lynch will still be on the ballot papers at the local elections tomorrow as the last date for withdrawal has passed.

Steve Flynn, treasurer of the Hastings Parachute Regimental Association described Matt Lynch’s claims as an “insult” to the men who served and died in the Falklands.

He told the BBC: “To this day no-one knows of him [Lynch].

“It’s an insult to most people and their families.

“There were men who died on Mount Longdon who never saw their newborn baby. It’s an insult to them.”

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A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Matthew Lynch has been suspended pending an investigation.”

Mr Lynch is yet to respond to a request for comment from the Northants Telegraph’s sister paper, the Hastings Observer.