Reform mayor Luke Campbell is under police investigation for cyberflashing, an allegation he 'firmly denies'. The 39-year-old former Olympic boxing gold medallist is accused of allegedly showing naked pictures of himself to a female member of staff on a computer. It is understood he denies any wrongdoing.
Alleged incident in May
Hull and East Yorkshire mayor Mr Campbell allegedly called a female employee over to his desk and showed her four fully "naked and sexualised images" of himself on a computer in an office in central Hull in May, reports the Observer. She was reportedly left feeling "shocked, embarrassed, and humiliated" afterwards, as Campbell allegedly mocked her reaction.
The Observer claim that employment tribunal documents show the woman alleged: "I was deliberately exposed to naked and sexualised images involving the mayor in the workplace, without my consent, and was laughed at when I was visibly embarrassed. In my view, this was unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which violated my dignity and created a humiliating, degrading and offensive working environment."
Witness testimony and other incidents
A second filing seen by The Observer allegedly includes testimony from a witness who confirmed seeing Campbell and two other male colleagues ushering a female officer to look at his laptop, on which was "a naked man with a tattoo", which the witness said left them feeling "uneasy". Other alleged incidents have involved Campbell lowering his trousers' waistband to show a tan line and revealing a tattoo on his lower abdomen to a woman.
It is understood Mr Campbell was interviewed by Humberside Police officers earlier this month in relation to the alleged incident. No arrests or charges have been made.
Background and response
Mr Campbell became the first elected mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire in May 2025 after winning 35.8% of the vote. He won a gold medal in the bantamweight boxing competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and was later awarded an MBE for services to the sport. He also competed on Dancing On Ice in 2013, finishing third.
A Reform spokesperson said: "Luke firmly denies the allegations. They come from a disgruntled employee attempting to leverage a settlement in a meritless workplace dispute."
The Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority confirmed a police investigation is under way and are now conducting an internal probe. A spokesperson said: "As with all public authorities, the combined authority has a standards process that can be engaged to deal with complaints about members and a complaints procedure that can be used to deal with complaints about officers. The standards process and the complaints procedure must be carried out in a fair and independent manner."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for governance at local authorities, told Hull Live: "Whilst we cannot comment on individual allegations, Mayors should be held to the highest possible standards in elected office and combined authorities must have appropriate arrangements for protecting their staff, with the right safeguards in place when allegations are made. We have established processes in place to intervene in cases where they fail to meet these standards and will not hesitate to use them where required."
Humberside Police and Reform were contacted for comment.
