The chairman of Watford Labour has reportedly left the party following a backlash to a tweet she made about Winston Churchill.

A Labour spokesperson has told the Observer that it is "understood Linda Meehan is no longer a member of the Labour Party".

Observer sources have said Ms Meehan, who only became chairman in January, stood down from her role as chairman last night, but now it appears she has left the party altogether.

The Labour party has not provided any further comment.

Earlier this week, Ms Meehan was criticised by a member of her own party following a response she made to a Twitter account on June 6.

A tweet, posted on the same day a Churchill statue was graffitied in Parliament Square, stated: 'F*** Churchill he was a racist, narcissistic imperialist scumbag. I'd happily p**s on his grave'.

Ms Meehan, responding from her personal Twitter account, replied on June 10: ‘So would I’.

Watford Observer:

Linda Meehan replied 'So would I'

Her tweet has since been deleted.

After Ms Meehan’s tweet was picked up by her own party, the Observer contacted her on Monday.

She immediately apologised for “any offence she had caused” and said she did not actually “endorse” the idea of “p**sing on Churchill’s grave”.

Brendan O'Brien, a member of the Watford Constituency Labour Party, told this paper Ms Meehan's tweet was "crass"

He said: "I strongly support the removal of statues of slave traders and other historical figures that are offensive; they should have been taken down a long time ago.

"However, as a member of Watford Labour Party, I want to disassociate myself from this crude tweet. Churchill was a Conservative and he is known to have expressed opinions on race that were prejudiced and wrong.

"I know how strongly my own grandparents – miners and trade unionists - opposed Churchill politically. But in 1940 they readily supported him in order to defeat the vilest racism that had ever been seen.

"This crass tweet can only help the far right and sow division."

On Monday, Ms Meehan said: "I apologise for any offence caused. The tweet is in no way endorsing what the gentleman said. It was perhaps bluntly put that I understand his perspective but I disagree totally with the way he wanted to handle it. That is wrong.

"I apologise for coming across as rude or in any way disrespectful to our members but one has to understand the current climate we are in which I suppose is a negative environment for people of colour.

"I should have elaborated. I am happy to delete the tweet if it has caused offence. I am not here to offend, I am here to educate."