Ashley Fox's complaint about Bridgwater Town Council leader

His letter, addressed to Ellie Reeves, directly references the conduct of Cllr Brian Smedley - also a Somerset councillor - who has labelled the MP's complaint as a 'political attack'.

In the letter, Mr Fox references a 'highly inappropriate' doctored photograph which depicts fellow Bridgwater and Somerset Councillor Diogo Rodrigues as 'bound, gagged, and having been thrown through a broken window'.

The doctored image which was posted to the Bridgwater Labour website, and Cllr Brian Smedley's Facebook page. (Image: Bridgwater Labour)

This photograph, believed to have been created by Cllr Smedley, was published on the Bridgwater Labour website and Cllr Smedley's official Facebook page.

The recently-elected Bridgwater MP said that the image violated the principles outlined in the Debate Not Hate resolution passed at Somerset Council and multiple aspects of the Members' Code of Conduct.

Mr Fox noted that the image 'specifically breached' the 'I do not bully any person' aspect of the code.

He signed off his letter by prompting the Labour Chair to take action in response to Cllr Smedley's conduct.

"It is imperative for the maintenance of public trust and the safety of elected officials that such behaviour is addressed," he said.

Ashley Fox has urged the Labour Party to take action in response to the situation. (Image: UK Parliament)

The doctored image came in response to an incident in which Conservative councillor Diogo Rodrigues was removed from a town council meeting after his requests to extend the questioning portion of the gathering were allegedly denied.

At the time, Cllr Brian Smedley, leader of the town council, said Cllr Rodrigues 'wouldn't shut up' and left the meeting of his own accord, but a spokesperson for Bridgwater Town Council confirmed he was 'asked to leave' the meeting.

Upon seeing the image for the first time, Cllr Rodrigues said he 'felt a mix of shock and disappointment', but didn't report the incident in fear of being seen as a 'troublemaker' - something he now feels was a mistake.

"I am someone who's unafraid to speak up and provide strong, necessary challenges, particularly when the issue at hand is of significant public interest," Cllr Rodrigues said.

"When the image was first brought to my attention, I immediately recognised it as completely unacceptable, especially given that it came from the leader of Bridgwater Town Council.

"Seeing the image, I couldn't help but ask myself - was this an attempt by an elected representative to intimidate me into silence?

"Would his followers view it as acceptable to target others simply for expressing their opinions?

"And would I be subjected to this kind of treatment if I weren't the youngest councillor on the council?

"Initially, I felt a mix of shock, frustration, and disappointment.

"However, I chose to push those feelings aside and didn't report the incident, fearing I might just be seen as a troublemaker. In hindsight, I realise that decision was likely a mistake.

"Hopefully this matter will now be addressed by the appropriate channels and I hope it may serve as a reminder of the importance of respect in our public discourse."

Ashley Fox pictured with Diogo Rodrigues after being elected the constituency's new MP. (Image: Jamie Grover, Newsquest)

Cllr Smedley, Labour leader of the town council, claims that the letter was initially sent to Somerset Council by David Fothergill - leader of the county Conservatives - on behalf of Cllr Diogo Rodrigues.

"I believe it's not a genuine standards complaint, as the article in question was written as part of the recent election campaign in which Rodrigues was Ashley Fox's agent and obviously engaging in numerous election stunts himself at the time," Cllr Smedley said.

"I trust the standards review will simply throw this rather nasty and unfounded complaint out.

"However, this is clearly a political attack, as exactly the same complaint put by Fothergill-Rodrigues to Somerset Council has gone from Ashley Fox to Labour nationally, and at the same time to the press."

Cllr Smedley, who is also the vice-chair of the Bridgwater Constituency Labour Party, went on to criticise the Conservative Party, and labelled Ashley Fox as 'simply pointless'.

"So, hardly a genuine standards complaint, rather an attack on me politically by a party that simply have no purpose in Somerset any more or indeed the country," he continued.

"They lost the government, thankfully. They lost the county council despite creating the unitary council that they wanted.

"They lost the only district that was Tory - Sedgemoor - and that has now gone forever, and they are in opposition on the Labour-controlled Bridgwater Town Council.

Cllr Smedley (pictured) feels the complaint has come as part of a 'political attack' staged against himself by the Conservative Party. (Image: Archive)

He added: "Ashley Fox, who narrowly won the Bridgwater parliamentary seat, is simply pointless and can only oppose those of us that are actually doing something, as he has no influence in Somerset and neither does his quaint historical party.

"In Bridgwater, we are getting on with localising power back to the town, and the Tories opposed that from the outset, and clearly still continue to try to cause problems for us.

"Bridgwater has had a Labour council since it was created in 2004, and the Tories don't really like that.

"Diogo Rodrigues got his leg up into local politics by joining the Labour Party and then switched to the Tories when the awful Boris Johnson became Conservative leader.

"I suspect he has a lot of explaining to do."

The entirety of Mr Fox's letter to Ellie Reeves is as follows: 

Dear Ms Reeves,

I am writing to you as Chair of the Labour Party to register a complaint regarding the conduct of Councillor Brian Smedley, a member of your Party in Somerset.

Cllr Smedley holds several roles, including Vice-Chair of the Bridgwater Constituency Labour Party, Leader of the Labour Group on Bridgwater Town Council, and Somerset Councillor.

Recently, Bridgwater Labour published a highly inappropriate photograph of Conservative Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, which depicted him bound, gagged, and having been thrown through a broken window.

This image was published on the Bridgwater Labour website and further promoted by Cllr Smedley on his official Facebook page. This page, titled 'Councillor Brian Smedley,' clearly identifies him as a Labour Councillor at Somerset Council, thus suggesting that these views represent the position of an elected official. I understand he created the image.

Such conduct is a direct contravention of the principles outlined in the Debate Not Hate resolution passed at Somerset Council, which was ironically brought forward and promoted by Somerset Labour.

This behaviour violates multiple aspects of the Members' Code of Conduct, including the general principles of acting with integrity and honesty, treating all persons fairly and with respect, and leading by example to secure public confidence in the role of a Councillor.

And specifically breaches: I treat other Councillors and members of the public with respect; ‘You should not subject individuals to personal attack’;

I do not bully any person;

I do not harass any person;

I do not bring my role into disrepute.

The publication of this doctored photograph by Cllr Smedley also contravenes several of the Seven Principles of Public Life, namely Integrity, Objectivity, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership.

I request that you take appropriate action to address Cllr Smedley's conduct.

It is imperative for the maintenance of public trust and the safety of elected officials that such behaviour is addressed.

Yours sincerely

Ashley Fox

MP Bridgwater