Sital Punja, a Labour councillor on the Tory‑controlled Hillingdon Council, told the BBC that AI‑generated cartoons posted by the borough’s Conservative group crossed a line, describing the pictures as relying on "racist and antisemitic tropes".
The images, shared on the Conservatives’ X account, portrayed Punja – who is of Indian heritage – as a puppeteer pulling the strings of white male councillors, and another illustration showed her "running off with all the money". Punja said the puppeteering motif has historically been used as an antisemitic and racist stereotype.
The Hillingdon Conservative Group rejected the accusations, insisting the material was intended purely as political satire and denying any racist, sexist or misogynistic intent. The group added that similar AI‑manipulated pictures have been posted by local Labour branches.
Punja, first elected in 2022 and a former deputy leader of Hillingdon Labour, said the use of a council photograph taken for official promotion to create caricatures violated her privacy and caused emotional distress. She has lodged a complaint with the council’s Standards Committee – which has a Conservative majority – and called for internal discipline of Councillor Richard Mills, whose anonymous online account posted the images.
The row emerges amid growing concerns over AI‑generated deepfakes. In February, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office joined an international statement warning about realistic AI images created without a person’s knowledge or consent, and academics have highlighted how difficult it is to erase such data from AI training models.
Punja argued that the harassment deters women and minorities from seeking elected office. She noted that women now make up only 32 % of Hillingdon councillors, a figure that follows a national drop to 27 % in 2025, and urged platforms and political parties to adopt stronger safeguards for elected representatives.
A council spokesperson said Hillingdon has a recognised complaints process but would not comment on specific allegations, directing any queries about individual councillors to the parties involved.