A Labour town councillor in Falmouth is facing growing scrutiny after social media posts emerged linking her to far-right figures, and sharing Islamophobic and transphobic content. Jude Robinson, who won her seat on Falmouth Town Council in the recent local elections but who failed to win a seat on Cornwall Council, has been criticised by fellow councillors and members of the public over a history of controversial online activity.

Screenshots from Robinson’s Twitter account (an account promoted by Tom Pierce, Deputy Mayor of Falmouth) show that she has shared material from known far-right figures, including Jayda Fransen, former deputy leader of Britain First, as well as from an account named “Far Right Thug,” which regularly posts inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Posts shared by Robinson have included generalisations that label Muslims as “paedophiles” and “rapists,” alongside content promoting conspiracy theories and targeting trans people.Despite these concerns being raised privately and publicly, Robinson was recently nominated by Labour colleagues to serve as Mayor of Falmouth, a move that ultimately backfired. The left-leaning Falmouth Town Council instead voted for a Conservative councillor, citing Robinson’s social media history and the controversy surrounding her nomination.

Alan Rowe, a Labour councillor and former mayor, was among those who supported Robinson’s nomination. Rowe has come under particular criticism after it emerged that he was made aware of Robinson’s anti-trans posts before the vote.

Several Labour councillors have privately expressed frustration over the situation but have not spoken publicly. Critics argue that Robinson has remained shielded from accountability due to her close ties with Jayne Kirkham, the Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth. Robinson reportedly played a key role in Kirkham’s campaign organisation during the last general election.

Robinson’s political career also stretches back to the Jeremy Corbyn era, during which she became known locally for her involvement in disciplinary complaints and internal disputes during criticism of Labour’s handling of antisemitism allegations. She has been described by former Labour activists as a leading figure in the purge of left-wing members being smeared with “anti-Semitism” allegations, for holding pro-Palestine views.

Cobblestone Media has been made aware that a formal code of conduct complaint has been
submitted to the Council’s ombudsman, by a Muslim constituent regarding Robinson’s
social media activity. The complainant reached out to Cobblestone Media and gave this statement.:

“As a member of this community, I felt I had no choice but to make a formal complaint to the Ombudsman about Councillor Robinson’s posts on social media. Her comments about Muslims and trans people were inflammatory and deeply hurtful as a queer person who grew up in a Muslim household. 

Public figures have a responsibility to represent all of their constituents fairly and with respect. Instead, these tweets have sown division and undermined trust in local government. I believe it’s vital that councillors are held to the standards of conduct we all expect, and that nobody in our community feels singled out or unsafe because of who they are or what they believe. I hope the Council decides to do the right thing and take appropriate action against this clear Code of Conduct breach.”

Calls for Labour to investigate the matter further have so far gone unanswered. Multiple community members and political figures in Falmouth say the episode is symptomatic of a wider disconnect between Labour’s original values and the actions of of its current representatives.

“This is not about factional politics,” said one former Labour activist. “It’s about whether openly sharing material from the far right is compatible with holding public office in a supposedly progressive party, and in a town where LGBT+ people make up a considerable portion of the population.

“We may not have a large Muslim population in Cornwall, but this just makes the small number of Muslims who do call Cornwall their home, all the more vulnerable to this kind of hatred.”

Cobblestone Media reached out to Cllr Robinson for comment on the tweets, she stated:

“I’m surprised anyone finds these inflammatory or feels the need to complain. I’m a left of centre feminist. Hardly surprising that I think women should dress how they want to and be wonderful rather than completely covered up, that we should all promote peace rather than hatred and Tommy Robinson is an unpleasant man who expects others to fund his life instead of getting a job like the rest of us.”

The complainant awaits an initial assessment from the ombudsman.

Image Via: Kenneth Alan. CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Wikipedia Commons.