What was claimed
Nigel Farage posted an edited photo of a £5 note with Donald Trump on it on X saying: “The Bank of England is replacing Winston Churchill with a picture of a beaver on our bank notes. When I'm Prime Minister I will only have patriots and great friends of Britain on the currency.”
Our verdict
False. Mr Farage’s real post about Winston Churchill being replaced has been edited to include a fake quote about “patriots and great friends of Britain” and the image of President Trump’s face on a £5 note.
A fake screenshot of an X post, supposedly from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, of Donald Trump on a £5 note accompanied by the caption “when I'm Prime Minister I will only have patriots and great friends of Britain on the currency” is being shared on social media as if it is real.
This post includes the same first sentence as a real post Mr Farage published on 11 March about the Bank of England “replacing Winston Churchill with a picture of a beaver on our bank notes”. But the edited version adds an extra fake line to the quote and an image of a mocked up bank note including the US President.
The fake screenshot has been shared across Facebook, Instagram and X by people who seem to think it is real.
A spokesperson for Reform UK also confirmed the post is fake.
The Bank of England recently announced that images of the UK’s wildlife will feature on the next series of banknotes following a public consultation. However, the BBC reported that no specific animals have yet been chosen.
We’ve written about screenshots of fake social media posts from politicians several times before.
False or misleading claims online have the potential to harm individuals, groups and democratic processes and institutions. Online claims can spread fast and far, and are difficult to contain and correct.
