A TORY councillor has been condemned after vowing to attend a meeting despite telling colleagues he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Conservative representative Marc Asquith sent an email announcing that he had contracted the virus but intended to go ahead with the face-to-face meeting this morning regardless.

He said he was “not concerned” because he had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

Asquith, who sits on the Cheshire East Council, later claimed that he misread his test result and was not in fact Covid-positive.

He was nevertheless lambasted for his initial insistence that we would attend the meeting.

The councillor’s email read: “Colleagues, I appear to have tested positive for Covid-19 this evening.

“However, given that I have had the two jabs I am not concerned.

“Since I have a skin condition, I do not wear a mask but rather a visor, I plan to attend tomorrow as required.

“Those of you who are shielding may wish to keep social distancing from me.

"Best regards, Marc.”

Cheshire East Labour led the backlash.

A statement read: "This is disgraceful from a Conservative Councillor in Cheshire East. Marc Asquith absolutely should not turn up at the Full Council meeting tomorrow, as in doing so he will be putting dozens of people at risk. We call on @CEC_Cons to take action against him urgently."

Asquith was forced to backtrack and claimed that he had misread his test result.

He told CheshireLive: "I did the test and I mistakenly thought it was positive, it was actually negative.

"I circulated the image of the test with my email to fellow councillors that I planned to come anyway and a few had got back to me and said 'you fool, that's a negative test'."

He added: "My view was that it was adequate protection, I felt that if I stayed away from people and wore my mask I would be okay.

"But I will concede that I was over enthusiastic to represent some of the views I had today and that was a mistake."

The councillor stated that he will not be attending the meeting after all.