International rugby player Ross Peltier will not be contesting tomorrow’s by-election for Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, England, after being pulled as a candidate over anti-gay comments he made 10 years ago, news reports said.

Peltier, who was born in Bradford, England, of Jamaican parentage, got the Green party nod earlier this month to run in the July 1 by-election for the seat vacated by Labour Party MP Tracy Brabin, who stood down following her election as West Yorkshire’s mayor.

But the Green Party pulled him as a candidate within days of reports surfacing that as a 19-year-old he had made what the party termed “historic but highly offensive” and “homophobic” tweets.

“We are clear that people grow and change and should not be limited by youthful mistakes. But, as a party that champions the rights of LGBTIQA+ people and their support communities, we do not feel it is right for Ross to be the party’s candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election,” the Greens said.

A remorseful Peltier apologised for the “terrible” language he used and said “in no way” is he homophobic, and the Green Party indicated it would not field a replacement for the candidate who is a prop for Jamaica and the Doncaster Dons.

Peltier, in a post on Twitter, admitted: “A few tweets have come to light from around 10/nine years ago from when I was 19 years of age. The language used is not acceptable or appropriate in any way, shape, or form.

“In no way am I homophobic. I am sorry if my old tweets have caused harm or upset to anybody. But my growth as a person since the time of those tweets has been immeasurable. I hope I can be judged on my character now and not of when I was a 19-year-old.”

Pink News reported 32 tweets online in which the rugby player allegedly used “gay” as an insult, and 20 in which he uses the word “f*g”.

Peltier said he understood the Green Party’s decision to revoke his candidacy, adding that he had reached out to a number of organisations and want to better his education and give time to work with the LGBTQ+ community.

He told supporters: “My candidacy has now been revoked and I will not be standing in the Batley and Spen by-election. I fully understand and respect the decision made. I only ever wanted to help improve the area and lives of people in my community.”

In seeking the party’s nomination, Peltier, who works in the building sector and has a strong interest in sustainable construction, had said that from a young age he had been raised to have “a passion for local community, to give to and help others to create a better place for us all to live in”.

“I gained this passion through my parents and how active they have been in communities within Kirklees and the West Yorkshire area. I was immersed in such events, meeting with community groups and really begun to understand that the diversity and strength in character is one of the major things that makes our region so special,” he said.

— Compiled by Kevin Wainwright and edited by Desmond Allen