A Green Party councillor has apologised for saying claims of antisemitism in Labour are “right-wing press smears”.

Cllr Nicola Day, who represents Orton Waterville on Peterborough City Council, made the comments in a Twitter conversation with former deputy chairman of UKIP Peterborough, Jay Beecher.

She said: “Labour are almost not antisemitic and you know that too. They are being smeared by right wing press because big people in big places with lots of money. The 1% doesn’t wanna pay tax fairly and share things with everyone else. It’s all a big lie. You know that.”

When she was asked what she meant by her “big lie” comment, she replied: “To protect the elite from socialist policy.”

Cllr Day, who was previously a Labour member before joining the Greens to stand in the 2015 General Election in the North West Cambridgeshire constituency, apologised for her remarks.

Cllr Day, who was elected in May as the second every Green city councillor, said she will undertake training to develop her understanding of antisemitism and said that she “abhors antisemitism in all forms.

“I recently tweeted inappropriately. I understand now I didn’t fully grasp the issues I was tweeting about. I apologise wholeheartedly for the tweets and will undertake training to develop my understanding of antisemitism. I abhor antisemitism in all forms,” she wrote on Twitter.

The Green Party’s council group leader Cllr Julie Howell said the tweets were not Green Party policy and “could be deemed offensive.”

The MP for Peterborough Lisa Forbes is also currently undertaking an antisemitism training course after liking an antisemitic Facebook post which said Theresa May has a “Zionist slave masters agenda”.