Fake AI-edited image of Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin circulates online

An image of Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin on the campaign trail has been edited to change the supporters she’s standing with.

Ms Pochin posted the original photograph showing her out campaigning with the local Reform UK Halton team on Facebook and Instagram on 12 April. In this photo the group of supporters appear to be white.

Within hours, an edited version of the image now showing Ms Pochin with a different group of seemingly Asian people was being shared online.

When we ran the fake version through Google’s large language model (LLM) Gemini it told us it had a SynthID digital watermark, indicating it was altered using Google AI tools.

Nonsensical text on the leaflets in the edited version also suggest it was manipulated with AI.

Head of Local Government Delivery for Reform UK, Ben Bradley, confirmed on X that the image was fake. We have also contacted Ms Pochin and Reform UK for comment.

Comments underneath the fake photo, such as “I've just gone off Reform UK after seeing this picture”, suggest people think the images are genuine.

The earliest version of the edited image we could find online was posted by an account that has shared several fake and edited images of Reform UK politicians. We’ve attempted to contact the account for comment.

The account also shared a manipulated version of a real image posted by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson. It had also changed the supporters behind him making them majority Asian. Another edited image shared by the X account changed another real photo posted by Mr Anderson changing the ethnicity of some of the supporters and editing the sign to say “Reform Yookay welcomes clueless voters”.

Before sharing content like this that you see on social media, it’s important to consider whether it comes from a trustworthy source, or if it’s been created to make you feel a certain way. Our Full Fact toolkit contains guides on how to spot suspected AI content.