Full Fact, the UK's largest fact-checking charity, has compiled a round-up of recent claims, including a fictional story posted by Labour MP Sureena Brackenridge and an inaccurate statement by Sir Keir Starmer about Labour's electoral majorities.
Fictional Nurse Story Posted on MP's Social Media
On June 25, Labour MP Sureena Brackenridge posted a story on her social media accounts about a nurse named Maya struggling to find affordable housing. The post included an image of a woman in scrubs and a young girl in school uniform standing in front of a terraced house. The text described Maya as “working in a busy city hospital” and noted that “for years” her “life was measured in short-term tenancy agreements.” It claimed “this is the reality for millions of working people” and cited recent housing construction figures, adding that “the landscape has begun to shift in a way that offers real, tangible hope to people like Maya.”
However, Full Fact identified that Maya is not a real person and the image appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence. The original posts on X and Facebook did not disclose this, leading some users to comment with well-wishes for Maya. After Full Fact alerted Ms Brackenridge, the X post was deleted and the Facebook post was edited to include the disclaimer: “Maya is fictional, but this is the reality for millions of working people.”
Ms Brackenridge told Full Fact: “I’ve been made aware of a post undertaken by a member of my staff. I have been made aware the intention was to share policy news, explored through a narrative of how this would feel for a person.” She added, “I believe firmly in transparency and accessibility. There was not any intention to mislead, but rather an attempt to use technology to present policy in an accessible way.” She also stated that she has enacted “procedures to ensure this never happens again.”
AI-Generated Content in Politics Raises Concerns
This incident is part of a growing trend of AI-generated content in political communications. In April, Full Fact revealed that “illustrative” AI-generated campaign videos posted by a candidate in the Scottish parliamentary elections did not depict real events. Full Fact argues that it should have been clearly stated in the original posts that the story was fictional. The image in question contained a SynthID watermark, an invisible digital watermark indicating creation with Google's AI tools. Additionally, visual clues such as blurry text on wheelie bins and uniform logos, and disproportionate front door dimensions, suggested the image was not authentic.
Keir Starmer's Inaccurate Claim on Labour Majorities
In his first major television interview since resigning as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer claimed: “We’ve only ever won three majorities, and we won a majority in 2024, therefore 1945, 1997 and 2024 go down as three of the most successful elections in the history of the Labour party.” This statement is incorrect. Labour has actually won a total of nine majorities under four different leaders. Before 2024, Labour had won a majority from opposition on three occasions—in 1945, 1964, and 1997—not two as Sir Keir implied. Additionally, the party secured majorities while already in government five times: under Clement Attlee in 1950, Harold Wilson in 1966 and 1974, and Tony Blair in 2001 and 2005.
Full Fact's round-up highlights the importance of transparency and accuracy in political communication, particularly as AI tools become more prevalent.
