Police in Conservative conference host city Manchester are investigating a banner calling for Tory deaths.

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester has condemned the "unacceptable" sign appearing to call for the death of thousands of Tories as they arrived for their party conference in the city.

It was tweeted by a Conservative councillor, who was jogging when she spotted it on Sunday morning.

Two effigies were also seen hanging from the bottom of the banner, which read: "130,000 killed under Tory rule, time to level the playing field."

Image: Andy Burnham has condemned the sign

Kerry Boyd, who sits on Thanet District Council in Kent, said: "Never have I felt more apprehensive than seeing this in my morning run pre #CPC19. Does this classify as death/terrorist threat? Utterly vile."


Mr Burnham said it was "completely unacceptable" and the banner along the Irwell River by Peel Park, Salford, has since been removed.

The Manchester Evening News reported that a local wing of the grassroots Labour movement Momentum tweeted its own picture of the banner, alongside the caption: "Good morning @Conservatives. Welcome to Manchester."

The tweet was later deleted.

The national Momentum group told Sky News: "Manchester Momentum weren't behind the banner, they tweeted about it and then deleted the tweet because they realised it was inappropriate."

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Nobody has claimed responsibility for the banner.

Image: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has arrived in Manchester with his partner Carrie Symonds

It comes as concern grows over the rhetoric used in political debate across the country, including by the prime minister and others in parliament.

Boris Johnson has played down calls for him to moderate his language, describing his use of "surrender act" to describe legislation designed to prevent a no-deal as a "legitimate" phrase.

One politician who has rowed back on some controversial language is Nigel Farage, whose vow to "take a knife" to civil servants after Brexit prompted a now dropped police investigation.

Following complaints about his speech at a rally in Newport, he admitted to Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I should have said we'll take the axe to Whitehall - axe would have been a better term."