A REFORM UK chairman has apologised after an “AI-generated” image imitating local journalism was circulated on his social media page.
Ruben Duffy, who chairs Reform UK Selby, said he shared the post, which falsely presents as an article written by The Press, “without the realisation that it was artificial”.
The image was posted to Mr Duffy’s Facebook page on September 20 and received more than 380 comments and 3,600 likes before it was subsequently removed.
It included a convincing copy of The Press masthead, font and online layout with the headline ‘York Labour on course to lose seats to Reform in May’, along with an image of City of York Labour councillors.
Text beneath the image read: “York Labour could be on course to lose seats to Reform UK in May’s local elections, with growing voter dissatisfaction and rising support for the party across the city, according to political analysts.”
The Press can confirm that the purported article and its contents were not written, produced or edited by any member of its newsroom.
There are no official opinion poll results for the York local elections at the moment, which will be held in May 2027.
In the Heworth by-election held in January this year, Reform UK candidate John Edwards Crispin-Bailey secured 601 votes, coming second to Anna Catherine Perrett of the Labour Party with 1,096 votes.
In a statement, Mr Duffy said: “I want to state unequivocally that the image in question was shared in error.
“It was shared without the realisation that it was an artificial, AI-generated forgery imitating the layout of The Press.”
Ruben Duffy (Image: Ruben Duffy- Reform UK Selby)
He added: “As a matter of principle, I do not condone the use of spoofed media layouts to mislead the public.
“As soon as the nature of the image was brought to my light, the post was immediately and permanently removed from social media.
“I sincerely apologise to The Press and Newsquest Media Group for any confusion or misrepresentation this error caused to the publication.”
Editor of The Press, Ben Hardy, said he would urge political parties, campaigners and social media users to “think carefully about the source and authenticity of content before sharing it”.
In a statement on Monday, October 5, he said: “AI is an increasingly powerful tool, but it must be used responsibly.
“Creating or sharing content designed to mimic a trusted news publication risks misleading readers and eroding confidence in legitimate journalism.
"At a time when misinformation is already a significant challenge, it is more important than ever that public figures and organisations take care to ensure what they publish is accurate, authentic and clearly labelled.”
Executive Member for Economy and Culture at City of York Council, Councillor Pete Kilbane, said: “Despite this being poorly produced AI, Reform UK presents a real threat and given its tactics and what it stands for, it’s important we don’t allow them to get a foothold in York.
"And local journalism matters, so nobody should be creating fake news stories and passing them off as the work of local reporters.”
Reform UK did not respond to request for comment.