An outspoken councillor who sparked outrage by describing serving Army soldiers as “hired killers” in a tweet has been thrown out of his own party.

Brighton and Hove City councillor Ben Duncan has been told by the Brighton and Hove Green Party that he should no longer serve as one of their members following disciplinary proceedings.

The decision means Councillor Duncan will be left to serve as an independent for the rest of this council’s term which ends next May.

In a statement issued this morning, Lisa Murray, chairwoman of Brighton and Hove Green Party, said: “The panel of inquiry has concluded that Councillor Ben Duncan should no longer serve as a member of the Green Group of Councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council.

“This follows his recent statement on Twitter concerning the armed forces which understandably offended many both within and outside the party.

“The panel concluded that since this recent incident follows a history of making comments in social media that many would view as inappropriate for someone in such a position, taken as a whole, Councillor Duncan's actions amount to a breach of standards and judgement expected of a Green councillor, bringing himself and colleagues into disrepute.

"Councillor Duncan’s removal from the Green Group is for the remaining council term.

"From this point Councillor Duncan will not participate in votes or discussions in the Green Group or be involved in any decisions of the Group and will sit as an independent councillor and not be counted as a part of the Group.

"Any further investigation is beyond the remit of this disciplinary panel.

“We thank Councillor Duncan for the contribution he has made while a member of the Group.”