THE British Empire is about to “strike back” as it forges global trade deals in the post-Brexit era – this was the bold claim from one of Cumbria’s top Tories.

James Airey said his party’s general election victory would herald a brave new time of “positivity and hope” – but opposition councillors later accused him of “crowing” and branded his reference to the revival of Britain’s former imperial glory “offensive”.

And ramping up his political showboating, the leader of the county council’s Conservative group not only referred to the science fiction classic The Empire Strikes Back, but even borrowed Labour’s own election slogan.

He said: “You can almost feel the new era of positivity and hope, a new clear sense of direction with a new Conservative majority – governing for the many not for the few.

“Even our great county has a new sea of blue in MPS, albeit except from any annoying little yellow stain in South Lakeland."

The ‘yellow stain’ comment was directed at Tim Farron, the county’s only non-Conservative MP, who called the comments 'a disgusting slur on local people'.

Mr Farron responded: “While Mr Airey has spent the past few months slagging off hard-working people in Westmorland and Lonsdale for rejecting his bid to become our MP twice now, I’m proud that me and my team have been working hard and getting things done – completing almost 900 pieces of casework for local people since the start of January on key issues like access to social care and mental health treatment."

Cllr Airey, who lost out on winning the Westmorland and Lonsdale seat in last year's General Election, told the meeting: “We are free from the shackles of the failing bureaucratic anti-democratic nightmare that is the European Union, free to make our own laws and control our own borders and strike new trade deals with our commonwealth friends and the rest of the world. The British Empire is about to strike back.”

Cllr Airey continued: “We all give thanks not only to the great British public for putting their faith in us and Boris Johnson but also Jeremy Corbyn, who has managed to destroy and make unelectable for at least a decade, the once great party of Blair”.

Mr Farron added: “Instead of fantasising about the British Empire, he should get in the real world where his own Government are slashing our NHS, demoralising our brilliant teachers and head teachers, and failing to take action so badly needed to deal with the climate crisis."