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Low reported severity Media Coverage

Fact-checker Full Fact says a video of Tory MP George Freeman announcing a defection to Reform UK was likely AI-made; he reported it to police

In October 2025 a video spread on Facebook and X that appeared to show George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk and a former science minister, announcing that he was leaving the Conservatives to join Reform UK. Full Fact said on 20 October that the clip was very likely made using artificial intelligence: it matched his outfit and the Westminster background to a video he posted in April 2020, described the audio as stiff and unnaturally even, and said AI appeared to have been used to lip-sync the false words, while noting that an impersonator could not be ruled out. Freeman called the video an AI-generated deepfake made without his knowledge or consent and reported it to police. Norfolk Police said it was contacted on 16 October by the office of an MP about the video and opened an investigation into a potential false-communications offence. Freeman later told the Observer that friends and colleagues had sent him messages accusing him of betrayal, that Meta told him the video did not breach its guidelines, and that he found no law against the use of his identity; LBC reported in March 2026 that police told him it was not illegal. An anonymous creator told a local newspaper the video was made to show that people cannot tell fact from fiction.

AI system
Unidentified video tool (suspected)
Occurred
Oct 2025
Reported
18 October 2025
Event location
United Kingdom
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Reputational HarmPsychological Distress
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Elections · Public life
Evidence
AI involvement suspected · Causal attribution supported · 6 sources
7 claims: 1 corroborated, 6 reported. 4 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: Unidentified AI tool used, according to Full Fact's analysis, to lip-sync fabricated words and audio onto 2020 footage of a UK MP

What Happened

The video. Full Fact describes a clip that appears to show Freeman speaking in Westminster and saying he is crossing the floor to join Reform UK because the Conservative party has lost its way. The BBC reports that the video circulated widely on social media; the Observer says it was posted on Facebook and X.

The AI assessment. Full Fact matched Freeman's outfit and the background to a video he posted on YouTube in April 2020, before the Brexit Party was renamed Reform UK. It said the audio cadence is extremely even and the intonation stiff and unnatural, which suggests it may be AI-generated, and that AI also appears to have been used to make it look as though he is saying the words, a lip-sync deepfake. It said that, although less likely, it could not rule out another method such as an impersonator. The tool used is not identified.

The MP's response. Freeman called the video an AI-generated deepfake and a fabrication made without his knowledge or consent using his image and voice, said he had no intention of joining Reform or any other party, and reported it to the authorities. Norfolk Police told the BBC it was contacted by the office of an MP on 16 October 2025 and that an investigation was under way into a potential offence under section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Consequences described. Freeman told the Observer that friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal before he had seen the video, that the experience felt similar to being mugged, and that Meta told him the video did not breach its guidelines. LBC reported in March 2026 that police told him it was not illegal.

The creator's account. The Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury reported that an anonymous creator said the video was made to show that people are incapable of distinguishing fact from fiction, denied supporting Reform and called the suggestion of a criminal offence risible. The creator's identity and account were not verified in the inspected sources.

Limits. The video itself was not inspected. How widely it was shared, and whether it was removed, is not established.

Reported harm

An MP was shown in a fabricated video, assessed by Full Fact as very likely AI-made, announcing a defection he had not made; he reported it to police and said friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal (reported).

Outcome

Unknown

Freeman reported the video to police and contacted Meta; he told the Observer that Meta said it did not breach its guidelines. Norfolk Police opened an investigation as a potential offence under section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (false communications); LBC reported in March 2026 that police told him the video was not illegal. Full Fact rated the claim false.

What remains unknown

  • Who made the video and which tool was used; the anonymous creator's account is unverified.
  • How widely the video was shared and whether it was removed.
  • The exact date the video was first posted.
  • The formal outcome of the police investigation beyond the reported statement that it was not illegal.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: suspected. Full Fact analysed the clip: it matched the footage to a video the MP posted in April 2020, found the audio cadence unnaturally even and said AI appears to have been used to lip-sync the false words, so the clip was very likely made using AI; it could not rule out an impersonator. The fabricated likeness is what was published about the MP, who reported it to police and described accusations of betrayal. The tool and the maker are not identified.

7 claims: 1 corroborated, 6 reported. What the statuses mean

Corroborated A video that appeared to show George Freeman announcing his defection from the Conservatives to Reform UK circulated widely on social media in October 2025.

Causal attribution. Full Fact's own viewing of the clip and the Local Democracy Reporting Service account are separate origins for the existence and content of the video.

  • fullfact.org(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'A video that appears to show Conservative MP George Freeman announcing his defection to Reform UK has been shared widely online.'
  • bbc.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'In the widely-circulated video, the MP appeared to say "the time for half measures is over" and that the "Conservative party had lost its way" after announcing he had joined Reform'
Reported Full Fact said the clip was very likely made using AI: it matched the outfit and background to a 2020 video, found the audio cadence unnaturally even, and said AI appears to have been used to lip-sync the false words, while it could not rule out an impersonator.

Causal attribution. The fact-checker's own analysis of the recording; a likelihood assessment, not identification of a tool.

  • fullfact.org(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'The clip was very likely made using artificial intelligence.'; 'After looking through Mr Freeman’s social media we matched the outfit he is wearing and background in Westminster to a video he posted on YouTube in April 2020'; 'The cadence of the audio in the recent video is extremely even and the intonation sounds stiff and unnatural, which suggests it may be AI-generated. Although less likely, we can’t rule out that it has been faked in another way, for example by using an impersonator.'; 'AI also appears to have been used to make it look as though Mr Freeman is saying the words falsely attributed to him, an example of a lip-sync deepfake.'
Reported Freeman called the video an AI-generated deepfake and a fabrication made without his knowledge or consent using his image and voice, and reported it to the authorities.

Causal attribution. The depicted MP's own statement.

  • bbc.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'denouncing the video circulating on social media as "an AI-generated deepfake".'; '"The video is a fabrication, created without my knowledge or consent, and uses my image and voice without permission.'; '"I have reported this matter to the relevant authorities, and I urge anyone who sees the video to report it immediately rather than share it further."'
Reported Norfolk Police said it was contacted by an MP's office on 16 October 2025 and that an investigation was under way into a potential offence under section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (false communications).

Causal attribution. Police statement quoted by the BBC.

  • bbc.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'Norfolk Police released a statement to the BBC saying it was contacted on 16 October "by the office of a Member of Parliament regarding a video circulating on social media".'; '"An investigation is under way into the matter, which is being treated as a potential offence under Section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (False Communications)."'
Reported Freeman told the Observer that friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal before he had seen the video, and that Meta told him it did not breach its guidelines.

Causal attribution. The MP's own account in an interview.

  • observer.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'In October, the Tory MP George Freeman found himself bombarded by messages from friends and colleagues accusing him of betrayal.'; 'Freeman contacted Meta, which owns Facebook. “They said, ‘It doesn’t breach any of our guidelines.’'
Reported An anonymous creator told the Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury the video was made to show that people cannot distinguish fact from fiction, denied supporting Reform, and called the suggestion of a criminal offence risible.

Causal attribution. An unverified anonymous source quoted by one newspaper; the creator's quoted words do not name a tool.

  • wymondhamandattleboroughmercury.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'However, the person who produced it has denied supporting Reform believing "populism is always dangerous" and instead said the video was created to show how "people are incapable of distinguishing fact from fiction".'; 'The creator added they thought the suggestion creating the video would amount to a criminal offence was "risible".'
Reported Freeman said he found there was no law against using his identity in this way, and LBC reported that police told him the video was not illegal.

Causal attribution. The MP's account (Observer) and LBC's unattributed summary; the police decision itself was not inspected.

Sources

6 sources inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

English fact check read in full on 2026-10-31; no translation. Applies to s1.

English article read in full on 2026-10-31; no translation. Applies to s2, s3, s4, s5, s6.

Event countries: United Kingdom. Affected-person countries: United Kingdom. Court countries: Unknown.

The video depicts the MP for Mid Norfolk announcing a change of UK party, the messages he described came from friends and colleagues, and Norfolk Police investigated (BBC, Observer). Where the video was made or first posted is not stated. No court is involved.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-31: Published because a fact-checker analysed the clip and judged it very likely AI-made, and the MP shown reported it to police and described being accused of betrayal. The AI assessment is stated as Full Fact's likelihood judgement.

People described

A Conservative MP and former government minister shown in a fabricated video announcing a defection to Reform UK

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed

One person: the MP shown in the video, who denounced it, reported it to police and told the Observer that friends and colleagues sent him messages accusing him of betrayal. Viewers and sharers are not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#political-deepfake#ai-video#fact-check#police-report

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Fact-checker Full Fact says a video of Tory MP George Freeman announcing a defection to Reform UK was likely AI-made; he reported it to police. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-uk-fact-checkers-say-video-of-tory-mp-announcing-reform-uk-defection-was-likely-ai-made

BibTeX

@misc{2025_uk_fact_checkers_say_video_of_tory_mp_announcing_reform_uk_defection_was_likely_ai_made,
  title = {Fact-checker Full Fact says a video of Tory MP George Freeman announcing a defection to Reform UK was likely AI-made; he reported it to police},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-uk-fact-checkers-say-video-of-tory-mp-announcing-reform-uk-defection-was-likely-ai-made}
}

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