Restore councillor branded a ‘bigot’ for his views on rainbow-painted picnic table

| Live News Reporter Published August 4, 2026 2:08pm Updated August 4, 2026 2:09pm A Restore Britain Councillor spoke out against the painted table (Picture: Wales News Service) A rainbow-painted shopping centre picnic table has found itself in the centre of a political battle in South Wales. The multicoloured table was blasted by a Restore Britain councillor, Owain Clatworthy, 22, at a designer outlet village. Mr Clatworthy, who is a practising Christian, claimed the furniture had been turned into a ‘billboard’ to display a ‘political view.’ But he has now been branded a ‘bigot’ after sparking a row over the bench at the McArthur Glen shopping complex in Bridgend, South Wales. Mr Clatworthy posted a photo of the bench with the caption: ‘You can’t even sit down for a coffee at McArthur Glen for five minutes without being reminded of the latest mandatory ideology. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘This isn’t about kindness or inclusion. It’s about making one political view impossible to escape in every public space.’ Clatworthy shared his post about the table and was branded a ‘bigot’ (Picture: Wales News Service) ‘Ordinary people are tired of it. They just want to live their lives without every surface being turned into a billboard,’ he added. Bridgend MP Chris Elmore spoke out after seeing Mr Clatworthy’s post and said that ‘language matters’. He said: ‘Some in our community believe the freedom to be yourself is ‘mandatory ideology’. If that’s the case – then I welcome it, each and every day. ‘For too long, LGBTQ+ persons did not feel safe in public spaces – with the tragic recent events in Berlin serving as a timely reminder that the fight for rights never ends. MP Chris Elmore spoke out against Clatworthy (above) (Picture: Wales News Service) ‘Hate divides, kindness unites, love unites and language always matters. I’ll always strive to work for a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.’ But Mr Clatworthy doubled down and said that ‘freedom isn’t freedom’ when it is forced on others – and shared a screengrab saying the rainbow represented ‘God’s covenant with humanity’. The row comes after Mr Clatworthy, who was brought up in the care system, made history when he became Bridgend’s youngest-ever county councillor at just 20 years old for Reform. He later resigned from the party following a dispute over its candidate selection process before joining Restore Britain. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers will be freed early under release scheme Arrow MORE: I went on a work trip – and realised I’m bisexual Arrow MORE: Treasury worker, 26, killed herself one day after anonymous complaint News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.