A Conservative candidate under fire for sharing an image branded “antisemitic” admits he should have scrutinised it more before posting it.

Stephen James, who is running to be an MP for Dover and Deal, shared a cartoon depicting men with hooked noses at the White Cliffs of Dover carrying bags of “false hopes”.

In the now-deleted X post, he went on to criticise so-called “carpetbaggers” – political candidates who seek election in an area where they have no local connections.

There were calls on the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to suspend Mr James from running in the election.

But the 40-year-old candidate says it is “fanciful” to suggest he is antisemitic and claims he will be “extra vigilant” going forward, in a post on his website today.

He says the cartoon was generated using AI based on the work of political cartoonists Thomas Nast and Gerald Scarfe.

And he argues the term “carpetbaggers” was a criticism of political opportunism and not an attack on any ethnic or religious group, which includes the Jewish community.

“Despite having safeguards, AI systems can sometimes produce content that can be interpreted in unintended ways,” he said.

“I trusted the system would not produce an offensive image but the safeguarding protocols clearly did not kick in and it produced this image.

“I deleted the image very soon after posting once I looked more closely and you can see from the prompts I used that at no point did I refer to or intend to create any offensive content.

“I accept I should have scrutinised the image more appropriately before posting and I apologise wholeheartedly for any offence caused by this image.

“Given my track record of speaking out against antisemitism, to suggest I am antisemitic is fanciful. I shall be extra vigilant going forward and continue to call out discrimination wherever I see it.”

He adds the “real problem” is the need for stronger safeguards and better oversight to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.

“I should have scrutinised the image more appropriately before posting and I apologise wholeheartedly for any offence caused by this image…”

“The Conservative Party has made strides in addressing AI safety, but much more needs to be done,” he added.

“We must continue to advance our efforts to ensure that AI systems are robust and that the content they generate adheres to the highest ethical standards.

“I remain committed to advocating for stronger safeguards and better oversight to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.”

His apology comes after the cartoon was shared on X, formally Twitter, on Sunday but was soon deleted.

It said: “I am the only true local candidate for Dover, Deal and the villages.

“Unlike the carpetbaggers, I live, work, and raise my family in east Kent.”

Speaking on a visit to Kent, Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry urged Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives to suspend Mr James from the election.

“Anyone who posts material like that is not fit to be an MP,” she said.

Ms Thornberry added it showed an “appalling lack of judgement”.

A Labour spokesperson said sharing antisemitic material is “unacceptable”.

“Rishi Sunak should condemn Mr James’s actions, and immediately suspend him as a candidate,” they added.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The party has spoken to this individual and reminded them of the party’s code of conduct and standards expected of candidates including on social media.”

Other candidates standing for Dover and Deal are: Reform UK -Howard Cox; Liberal Democrat – Penelope James; Labour – Mike Tapp; Green Party – Christine Oliver; English Democrats – Steve Laws; Heritage Party – Sylvia Petersen; Workers Party of Britain – Colin Tasker, and independent candidates Geoffrey Lymer, Ash Payne and Chris Tough.