Fact Check: Starmer's Popularity, Muslim Mayors, and AI Epstein Image
This comprehensive round-up of recent claims has been compiled by Full Fact, the United Kingdom's largest fact-checking charity dedicated to identifying, exposing, and countering the damaging effects of misinformation.
Is Sir Keir Starmer the 'Most Unpopular' Prime Minister in Recent History?
Earlier this month, amidst political turbulence in Westminster, numerous assertions surfaced regarding the Prime Minister's popularity levels. Some suggested his ratings have reached historic lows, labeling Sir Keir Starmer as the "most unpopular" Prime Minister either in history or since modern polling began.
Polling experts employ various methodologies to gauge prime ministerial popularity, utilizing different questions and covering distinct timeframes. When Full Fact consulted polling authority Sir John Curtice about tracking popularity, he explained it "depends a bit on what you want to measure — perceived performance or likeability," noting these are "not necessarily the same thing."
One metric referenced in these claims is 'satisfaction ratings' compiled by market research firm Ipsos. Last September, Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, stated Sir Keir's "personal satisfaction ratings" were "the worst for any Prime Minister polled by Ipsos since we first started asking the question in 1977."
This assessment was based on Ipsos polling from September showing only 13% of voters expressed satisfaction with Sir Keir. Earlier this month, Ipsos reported a slight improvement in January, with satisfaction at 15%, though a 77% dissatisfaction rating resulted in a net satisfaction score of -62.
Full Fact's analysis of Ipsos data indicates that across all three metrics — satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and net satisfaction — Sir Keir's scores at certain points in recent months have been lower than those of other Prime Ministers since 1977.
However, alternative polling suggests fewer people approved of Liz Truss during her premiership. YouGov, which asks about favourable versus unfavourable opinions, recorded Sir Keir's net favourability at -57 in January. In October 2022, Ms Truss received a net favourability score of -70. YouGov's most recent results, published after the initial claims, show slight improvement for Sir Keir with a net favourability of -47.
Opinium measures net approval differently, asking respondents about their approval of the Prime Minister's job performance. Earlier this month, it found Sir Keir's net approval at -44, compared to Ms Truss's -47 in October 2022. Last month, Opinium placed Sir Keir's net approval at -46, describing it as his "joint lowest score ever" — matching Theresa May's rating from May 2019.
Pollsters employ several additional methods to assess public feedback on Prime Ministers, including questions about "likeability" and performance effectiveness. Most recent polls concerning Sir Keir were conducted before February 9, when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for his resignation.
No Evidence Supporting Claim That 75% of England's Mayors Are Muslim
A viral assertion claiming 75% of England's mayors are Muslim has circulated thousands of times online, but Full Fact finds no evidence supporting its accuracy.
England features several distinct types of mayors, including elected metro mayors, elected local authority mayors, and civic mayors appointed by local councils for ceremonial duties and meeting chairmanship.
Full Fact's investigation identified only three Muslim individuals among England's 27 directly elected mayors: Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London; Rokhsana Fiaz, elected local authority mayor for the London Borough of Newham; and Lutfur Rahman, elected local authority mayor for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The Local Government Association confirmed it does not maintain an official registry of civic mayors, but no evidence suggests 75% are Muslim. London represents England's most religiously diverse region according to the 2021 census, with 15% of residents identifying as Muslim. Research into the capital's current civic mayors revealed just one apparent Muslim holder, though the Speaker of Tower Hamlets, who performs equivalent ceremonial functions, is also Muslim.
Many posts disseminating the 75% claim include an image of 18 individuals purportedly representing current Muslim mayors. While all pictured individuals appear to identify as Muslim and have served as mayors previously, Full Fact's analysis indicates only five currently hold mayoral positions in their respective towns and cities.
AI-Generated Image Falsely Depicts Jeffrey Epstein 'Alive in Tel Aviv'
A widely shared image circulating on social media, allegedly showing Jeffrey Epstein alive and walking through Tel Aviv, Israel, has been confirmed as fake and generated using artificial intelligence.
The image portrays a bearded man wearing sunglasses crossing a street, but it does not authentically depict Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
When Full Fact submitted the image to Google's reverse image search, it was flagged as "made with Google AI." This designation indicates the presence of a SynthID digital watermark, invisible to the human eye but embedded in content generated or altered using Google AI products.
Further examination reveals the Hebrew street signs in the image are nonsensical. No street named "Haangus Ev." exists in Tel Aviv or anywhere in Israel. Some uncropped versions of the image circulating online display a visible Google Gemini watermark, providing additional evidence of its artificial origins.
