THE LEADER of Harrogate Borough Council has defended his decision to dress as Adolf Hitler at a fancy dress party which caused him to be de-selected from the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association.

Coun Mike Gardner, who remains leader of the council, said the decision to deselect him after finding a photograph of him at the party doing a Nazi salute on his partner’s Facebook page was an “overreaction”.

He said he had received support from Harrogate Borough Council and members of the public on what had been a “horrible day”.

He said: “People have phoned me all day long and the reaction on Facebook has been solidly in support even though I don’t know these people.”

Coun Gardner said he dressed as Hitler because the theme of the party was the year you were born and he was born during the war.

He said: “If I have upset anyone, I’m sorry for their upset, but the people at the party were not upset.”