No, a video of the PM in a Staffordshire mum’s kitchen wasn’t staged with an actress

A video posted by the Prime Minister showing him speaking to a woman in Staffordshire about the Warm Home Discount last week has prompted a series of false claims on social media, with some alleging that the footage was staged with an actress, and others suggested the kitchen it was filmed in was some kind of set.

None of these claims are true, as has been confirmed by a number of those present, including a journalist who interviewed Sir Keir Starmer. The video does show Mr Starmer visiting the home of a mother-of-three called Nicola, Nicola was not played by an actress and the footage was filmed in Nicola’s kitchen, as were other clips the same day.

What’s been claimed

On 19 June, the PM shared a short clip on X and Instagram about the government’s expansion of the Warm Home Discount scheme. The clip showed both Mr Starmer and the energy secretary Ed Miliband visiting the home of a blonde woman called Nicola who spoke about the impact of the scheme’s expansion on her bills.

The Prime Minister shared the clip with the caption: “Nicola is a single mother to three children. She works hard to provide for her family, and it is important to me that we help people like her with the cost of living.”

But soon after the clip was published, posts on social media began to claim that the woman in the footage was not really called Nicola, but instead a “paid actress” or “actress and agent” named Abby Raworth.

Other posts shared screenshots of an interview with Mr Starmer by TalkTV journalist Peter Cardwell which appeared to have taken place in the same kitchen, with an implication that this meant Mr Starmer’s video was misleading in some way. Some asked if the kitchen was actually a “set”.

One post said: “So ‘Nicola’ is actress Aby Raworth [sic], and this kitchen has been used in Labour videos before? Does two-tier-Keir ever tell the truth?”

Nicola is not an actress named Abby

Many posts claiming the woman was an actress or agent named Abby Raworth shared a screenshot of a profile of a woman by this name, who is also blonde and was listed as an “Artist Agent”.

One such post said: “'Nicola' is actress Abby Raworth. @UKLabour has reportedly used her before to stage fake 'vox-pop' interviews with supposed supporters. Starmer can't even find one real person to film.”

But Full Fact has now spoken to the Abby Raworth whose profile is shown in the screenshot. She told us she had not known anything about the online claims, but confirmed they were not true, adding: “The person in the video with the PM is not me, and I'm not an actress at all.”

Ms Raworth is actually a director of Leftside Creative, a talent agency which represents men’s hair stylists and barbers. Her profile on the website ‘The Dots’ that was shared in the social media posts did not describe her as an actress and has since been removed.

Moreover, the woman who did appear in the Prime Minister’s video is named Nicola, and she is a genuine Burton and Uttoxeter constituent whose MP, Jacob Collier, was also present at her home and can be seen next to her at the start of Mr Starmer's video.

Further details about Nicola, including her surname, age and location, appeared in a news article in the Express & Star local newspaper published on the day of the PM’s visit, though we’ve chosen not to repeat these details here.

In the clip, Nicola said: “The reason obviously for the [Prime Minister’s] visit today was to come out and just speak to normal, everyday people, and I’m one of those. So I’m a working parent, three children, I work in education”.

Mr Collier told Full Fact that the interview was “entirely genuine”, and that Nicola agreed to speak with the PM about receiving the Warm Home Discount following the policy’s expansion.

He said: “The opportunity came about after No. 10 enquired whether there were any constituents we had previously supported who might be willing to meet with the Prime Minister.

“We confirmed that Nicola would be in receipt of the Warm Home Discount and asked if she would feel comfortable discussing this with the Prime Minister. We also asked if she would be open to participating in a short interview for his social media, which she kindly agreed to.”

He added: “We’re aware of the misinformation circulating online and are taking it very seriously. My team has been in regular contact with Nicola throughout, and she has been given every possible support.”

The Department of Energy and Climate Change also confirmed to us that Mr Miliband visited Nicola’s house in Staffordshire with the Prime Minister.

Both the video and subsequent interviews were filmed in Nicola’s kitchen

The suggestion that the video was somehow inauthentic may have come from the fact that Mr Starmer’s conversation with Nicola and his interview with Mr Cardwell took place in the same kitchen. One post responding to Mr Starmer’s video said: “Completely staged. Same kitchen”, while others suggested it may have taken place in the PM’s own kitchen.

But Mr Cardwell, who was a Conservative special adviser prior to becoming a broadcast journalist, has confirmed in a subsequent article in The Times that both the video and subsequent media interviews with Mr Starmer, including his own, were filmed in Nicola’s kitchen.

In a post on X, Mr Cardwell said “Getting lots of Qs about this kitchen. Belongs to a woman called Nicola in Staffordshire”, adding that the kitchen was: “Not mine, not PM’s, not staged.”

Both Sky News and GB News included footage of Mr Starmer speaking about the Israel-Iran conflict from Nicola’s kitchen in their broadcasts on 19 June.

Sharing Mr Cardwell’s article in the Times, Mr Collier wrote on X: “Misinformation and conspiracy damages our democracy—and in this case, puts my constituent at risk. We have different political colours but thank you @petercardwell⁩ for your integrity in standing up for the truth.”

Misinformation like this can spread quickly online and shape people’s understanding and opinions about politicians and their parties and ultimately influence how they choose to vote. It’s important people consider whether information comes from reliable, credible sources before sharing it on social media.