🚨Councillor Michael Fife Cook, the leader of the Reform UK group on Devon County Council, raised safeguarding concerns after a large prosthetic penis and literature promoting “chemsex” were displayed at an LGBTQIA+ event in Exeter Library, next to a children’s art and colouring area. The council then punished him for speaking out. Now, with the Free Speech Union’s backing, he is fighting back. The event took place on 19th October 2025 as part of Exeter’s Out There Queer Fest. One mother complained that she had been forced to explain to her six- and seven-year-old children what the prosthetic penis was doing there. A subsequent evidential review identified significant failings in relation to the event. On 28th November, Cllr Fife Cook emailed fellow councillors and council officers to express his concerns about the safeguarding of children. He wrote: “I think this makes it clear our council officers can’t be trusted in safeguarding children.” He also warned that the incident made councillors “complicit in promoting and encouraging sexualisation of children”. Rather than addressing his concerns, two senior council officers lodged complaints against him under the Council’s Code of Conduct. On 29th July 2026, Devon County Council’s Standards Committee found that he had breached the Code, including by bringing himself or his office “into disrepute”, despite the independent investigator not having identified that particular breach. The Committee ordered him to apologise in writing to the officers he had criticised and undergo training with the Council’s Monitoring Officer. He refused — and rightly so. An elected councillor should be free to raise concerns about safeguarding, challenge council officers and hold public authorities to account without facing disciplinary action for expressing an unwelcome opinion. With the backing of the Free Speech Union, Cllr Fife Cook is now challenging the Council’s decision. On 30th September, his solicitors, Sharpe Pritchard, sent Devon County Council a pre-action letter setting out four grounds of challenge: irrationality, a breach of his Article 10 right to freedom of expression, a failure to give adequate reasons and apparent bias. But Michael’s case is part of a much wider problem. Across the country, councillors are facing Code of Conduct complaints for social media posts, criticism of council policies and robust challenges to public officials. Time and again, we hear the phrase “bringing the council into disrepute”. The Free Speech Union has supported councillors including Steve Horner, Kelvin Wright, Dulcie Tudor and John Edwards, who have faced complaints arising from their political speech. Even when these complaints are dismissed, the process itself can become the punishment: months of investigations, legal costs, reputational damage and the chilling effect on other elected representatives who may think twice before speaking out. And the Government wants to give councils even greater powers to punish elected representatives. Under its proposed reforms, councils would be able to suspend councillors for up to six months, withhold their allowances and bar them from council premises. Two maximum-length suspensions within five years could result in disqualification from office. Imagine the consequences if these powers were used against councillors simply for expressing contentious political opinions or challenging the conduct of council officers. The Free Speech Union is supporting Michael’s legal challenge because we believe Codes of Conduct must not be weaponised to silence legitimate political speech. A victory could help protect councillors across England from similar disciplinary action. But litigation is expensive, and Michael will not be the last councillor who needs our help. Please donate to the FSU’s legal defence fund to help us fight Michael’s case and defend the right of elected councillors to speak freely on behalf of the people who elected them 👇