A Suffolk MP has hit out at a Reform UK councillor’s “girl power” defence of a sexualised AI image of a female colleague as a complaint has been lodged about his online conduct.
Lowestoft MP Jess Asato has urged Suffolk County Council to investigate councillor Chris Hudson after he was removed from the Cabinet over a picture of fellow councillor June Mummery.
The image was quickly deleted but continues to circulate online.
The MP has urged for further action and for the council to remove the whip from Cllr Hudson.
The Green Party, Reform’s main opposition on the council, has lodged a formal complaint about Cllr Hudson’s social media activity, saying its “predatory nature” brings the council into “disrepute”.
Ms Asato said: “In any other workplace, conduct like this would warrant a full investigation, and politics should be no different.
"His removal from the cabinet was right, but it should not be the end of the matter."
Ms Asato is suing Elon Musk’s AI company xAI after its Grok chatbot created and shared fake images showing her in a bikini, pregnant in a kitchen and being chloroformed and prepared for sexual assault.
Her legal case seeks damages for misuse of private information and alleged breaches of UK data protection law, while also asking xAI to remove the images and introduce safeguards.
“Having been targeted myself, I know how violating this abuse feels,” Ms Asato said.
"The images may be fake, but the harm is real. It risks driving women out of politics and putting younger women off standing for election, depriving our communities of their voices and talents."
Cllr Hudson, who remains a councillor, defended the post, saying he intended to celebrate the decision to retain nursing provision and promote what he saw as a positive message about Cllr Mummery.
He said: “My removal from Cabinet is a serious matter, but it should not automatically become a licence for a political witch-hunt.
“There is a legitimate distinction between poor judgement, inappropriate humour and deliberately malicious conduct. Those distinctions deserve proper consideration.”
Ms Asato added: “Suggesting this was about ‘girl power’ or feminism shows how little he understands what he has done.
“There is nothing empowering about sexualising a female colleague, and his apology for causing offence fails to acknowledge why sharing it was wrong.”
Ms Asato said she has reached out to Cllr Mummery offering her support.
She added: "She has my full solidarity, as does every woman subjected to this abuse.”
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