A Conservative councillor for Potters Bar who has faced calls to resign over his party’s election conduct said he considers the “case closed” on any misconduct issues.

Councillor Morris Bright, leader of Hertsmere Borough Council and county councillor for Potters Bar West and Shenley, has told his colleagues he takes responsibility for a “negative campaign” which Conservative councillors ran in 2020.

During the 2020 campaign – which involved installing a billboard advert outside a railway station – Labour councillor Dan Ozarow (Borehamwood Kenilworth), who is Jewish, faced anti-Semitic trolling online from members of the public.

At a meeting on Tuesday, December 20, Cllr Bright told Hertfordshire County Council he has completed training, which he carried out at the request of the Conservative Party.

He has also begun meeting with opposition party leaders in Hertsmere, including Cllrs Jeremy Newmark (Lab, Borehamwood Cowley Hill) and Paul Richards (LD, Bushey North), and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

In November, the three leaders agreed to sign a protocol committing them to “respectful campaigning”.

An independent KC, appointed by the Conservative Party, ruled Cllr Bright along with his colleagues Cllrs Glenn Briski (Borehamwood Brookmeadow), Brett Rosehill (Borehamwood Kenilworth) and Paul Morris (Bushey Heath), and former councillor Jane West had engaged in negative campaigning which “may well have encouraged others to send anti-Semitic posts or messages to the complainant”.

At the December 20 meeting, Cllr Bright - whose maternal grandfather was an Orthodox rabbi and whose paternal grandfather was the first Jewish mayor of Hackney - said he “should have been aware” of the situation and taken steps to calm the campaign.

He promised to “ensure this behaviour is never again repeated under his watch”.

Cllr Bright said: “Actions speak louder than words. After almost three years of toing and froing and ‘he said’ and ‘she said’, I apologise for my actions.

“We live in a new age. Social media has changed everything, and sometimes people need to just take a little more time before they put something out there.”

Cllr Bright apologised before Hertsmere Borough Council in November this year.

Cllr Ozarow has previously spoken out about the abuse which he faced online.

He said in a statement: “It is very sad that in 21st-century Britain, Jewish candidates can be subject to this level of hatred and threats, incited by members of a mainstream political party.”