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A COUNCIL election candidate has been suspended by the Labour party – just two days before the vote.

Andy Bell, 30, is standing in the Denny and Banknock by-election tomorrow, but was last night exiled over sectarian posts on Facebook.

Dad-of-two Bell, of Larbert, Falkirk, sparked outrage by joking about child abuse, and publishing anti-Catholic bile too disgusting to repeat in a newspaper.

He will still stand in the by-election, which was triggered as a result of John McNally being elected as Falkirk MP in May but Labour chiefs withdrew support for him within an hour of being shown screen grabs of his comments by the Daily Record.

Unemployed chef Bell is hoping to be elected over three other candidates but will now have to stand as an independent.

Labour said they will also investigate him over the offensive posts, which appeared on his own page on the social networking site.

Last month, leader of Glasgow City Council, Gordon Matheson and Eastwood MSP Ken McIntosh, both Labour stalwarts, were photographed out canvassing with Bell.

A constituent who brought the slurs to our attention said: “He’s not the kind of person we want representing us at council level and we are glad Labour have moved so swiftly to suspend Bell.”

A spokesman for Scottish Labour said: “Andy Bell has been suspended by the Labour Party pending an investigation. Although it is too late for Mr Bell to be removed from the ballot, the party has withdrawn any support for him as a by-election candidate.

“Religious bigotry has no place in today’s society, not that I think it ever had, but it needs to be stamped out.”

Bell was not available for comment.

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