A Reform UK councillor who was pictured posed with acampaign poster endorsing serial rapist Jimmy Savile has apologised after facing heavy backlash.
Lilian Rogers, who is a member of Wigan Council in Greater Manchester, was pictured while campaigning for the Makerfield by-election with a resident, whose homemade sign read: “I would rather vote for Jimmy Savile than Labour.”
Savile, a presenter and DJ, who was found to be one of the UK’s most prolific sex offenders following his death in 2011, after which hundreds of sexual abuse allegations against him were investigated by the police.
Ms Rogers claimed she did not understand the “true, disgusting meaning” behind the message.
In an apology on her Facebook page, she said: “The photograph was taken at the end of a long day of canvassing. We stopped to speak with a supportive local resident who asked for a quick picture with a homemade sign.
“While I saw the sign at the time, I want to be absolutely clear: I completely failed to realise its sickening implications or context. In the rush of a busy campaign day, it was viewed as entirely innocent, and I did not comprehend the true, disgusting meaning behind it.
“Had I understood the implication for even a second, I would never have associated myself with it or agreed to be photographed.
“The wording on that sign is utterly indefensible, and I completely condemn it. I am deeply sorry for any distress this situation has caused to anyone who has seen it, and I am incredibly disappointed in my own naivety in allowing myself to be compromised in this way.”
Wigan Council has received numerous complaints about the incident, which Ms Rogers said was being dealt with internally.
Labour councillor Paul Blay said he was “absolutely disgusted” when he saw it, telling The Independent that “it’s pretty clear what it meant”.
“As a councillor myself, I think it’s absolutely terrible that some of my colleagues will stoop so low to have their picture taken next to something like that,” he added.
“The poor victims of Jimmy Savile, what the hell are they thinking?”
Mr Blay said many residents in his Hindley ward were “very upset”.
It comes as Reform’s Robert Kenyon suffered a brutal loss in the Makerfield by-election on Friday following Andy Burnham’s landslide victory.
Mr Blay called the Savile sign incident “the lowest of the low”.
“I think it showed in the result what [residents] actually did think about it, I think it played a part, maybe not a massive part, but I think it did play a part,” he said.
An AI-generated version of the photo, that showed typical Reform campaign signs, also appears to be circulating on social media alongside claims that the one referencing Savile was fake.
A Wigan Council spokesperson said: “We have received a significant number of complaints in relation to this matter.
“As with any complaints received regarding elected members, they will be considered under the council’s mandatory Code of Conduct and its procedure.”
Reform UK and Ms Rogers have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
