UK voters report surge in political deepfakes before local elections

A poll commissioned by the cross‑party think‑tank Demos surveyed 2,005 British adults between 30 April and 6 May 2026, just before local and devolved elections. Around 30 % of respondents said they had encountered at least one political deepfake – an AI‑generated video, audio or image of a candidate or politician – in the month leading up to the vote, and 16 % reported seeing such content more than five times.

The most frequently cited subjects were former US President Donald Trump (45 % of mentions), Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (36 %) and former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage (27 %). The Electoral Commission has launched a deep‑fake detection pilot, but results are not expected for six months. Demos is urging the government to accelerate clear rules and accountability for deepfakes, calling on the Representation of the People Bill to introduce stronger safeguards. Science, Innovation and Technology Committee chair Chi Onwurah said stronger protections are needed to defend voters against online misinformation, especially given hostile actors such as the Kremlin.