AN editor of an influential Scottish Conservative website has apologised after posting a series of what has been described as "disgraceful" remarks about race.

Stewart Green, a key figure behind the “Tory Hoose” blog, claimed it was not possible to be racist against “blacks” and said it did not matter how many black people went to university.

Green was one of the Tory members embroiled in a flag-burning row that resulted in party leadership hopeful Ruth Davidson firing one of her aides.

Toryhoose.com was formed by senior party supporters earlier this year as a Scottish version of the acclaimed Conservative Home website.

The blog describes itself as a forum for “fresh thinking” in the Tories and is edited by activists.

Contributors have given extensive coverage to the Scottish leadership contest and organised an opinion poll of members’ views last week.

However, the Sunday Herald can reveal that Green has posted controversial views on race elsewhere online.

Green, the site’s webmaster and “leadership editor”, said in a post on university admissions on microblogging site Twitter: “Why’s it ‘racist to conclude no blacks good enough’? Wasn’t aware black was a race.”

On the same day, he tweeted: “Shock: Oxbridge has only few black students. However, They have zero single armed, black, lesbian mothers. How outrageous.”

He later said: “As far as I can see, racism is discrimination against a particular race. So you can be racist against Jews, but not against black people.”

Green also tweeted: “An Asian festival is taking place a few doors up, either that or several cats are being strangled. Can’t quite decide which.”

On UK Government policy towards Pakistan, he said the Asian country’s “first mistake” was “ending imperial rule”.

Green’s tweets are now only available to approved followers of his Twitter feed.

Green was one of those present when another young Conservative, Ross McFarlane, set fire to a European Union flag on a Glasgow street last year. McFarlane was sacked as Davidson’s parliamentary assistant after this newspaper obtained footage of him burning the flag.

The film clearly shows Green and another individual holding the cloth as McFarlane tried to set it alight.

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish, the convener of Holyrood’s Equal Opportunities Committee, said: “These are disgraceful comments and the Tories have to root out this sort of person from their ranks following on from the recent anti-European incident.”

Clare Adamson, an SNP MSP who sits on the same committee, said: “Far from being fresh thinking this attitude is absolutely disgusting.

“These types of comments have no place in our society and are out-dated and old-fashioned.”

After being contacted by the Sunday Herald yesterday, Green said: “I accept that these statements are insensitive and I apologise unreservedly for any offence which they may have caused.”