What was claimed
A picture shows Andy Burnham greeting Asian men, as he says he will make Makerfield home for more asylum seekers.
Our verdict
This image was generated using AI. There are no credible reports of Mr Burnham saying this.
Fake image of Andy Burnham circulates online
An image circulating on social media alongside a claim that “Andy Burnham says he will make Makerfield home for more asylum seekers” is fake.
The photo, which supposedly shows the Greater Manchester mayor meeting a group of men of Asian heritage, contains a SynthID watermark indicating the image was either created or edited using Google’s AI tools.
There are also some inconsistencies within the image that indicate it isn’t genuine. On closer inspection, the left hand of the man second from the left in the image doesn’t resemble a hand, and Mr Burnham’s teeth don’t align in the way they do in real photos of him.
As well as the fake image, we’ve found no credible reports of Mr Burnham saying he will “make Makerfield home for more asylum seekers”.
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It’s been reported that Mr Burnham would end the use of private companies to source accommodation for asylum seekers were he to become Prime Minister, and that he supports changes to limit migration proposed by the home secretary Shabana Mahmood MP earlier this year.
Reports in the media have also highlighted recent contract tenders worth over £700,000 for a ‘Safe Transitions’ programme run by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which Mr Burnham leads as mayor, aimed at reducing “barriers to accessing housing, welfare and local services” for refugees.
We’ve contacted Mr Burnham’s campaign for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.