There are rumours on social media that a candidate from the right-wing populist Reform Party in the recent British elections was not real.
A photo of Mark Matlock, Reform UK’s MP candidate in the Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency in south London, has sparked speculation that the far-right party has fielded fake candidates for the election.
the picture which appears to be Digitally Alteredgave birth to Rumors Matlock did not exist, leading to more serious allegations that Reform had fielded non-existent candidates elsewhere as well.
These rumours were fueled by other allegations that Matlock had not appeared at any events and that his rival candidates had never met him.
When the election results were announced in the early hours of July 5, he was not even present at the counting of votes.
Despite all the allegations, there is no real evidence that Reform UK has fielded fake or non-existent candidates.
Several national information bodies, such as GuardianThe BBC and Sky News confirmed Matlock’s identity.
Matlock also appeared on GB News a few days after the election to discuss the allegations.
He said he did not come to the counting centre because he had pneumonia, reiterating what he had suffered said in x before the results are announced.
As for his photo, which was reportedly generated by AI, Matlock told The Guardian that the image was altered to change his tie and suit, as he was unable to reach the photographer in time.
Ultimately, Matlock finished fifth in his seat with less than 2,000 votes, while Bell Ribeiro-Addy won for the ruling Labor Party with over 24,000 votes.
Candidates on paper
Though none of the reformist candidates look fake, BBC report The party had difficulty finding candidates and, in some cases, had to recruit friends and family members of staffers to contest the elections.
Some of them did very little publicity, if at all.
So-called “paper candidates”, who appear on the ballot paper but do not show their faces, are a common occurrence in UK elections.
This is due to the fact that political parties receive more than £22,000 (26,000 euros) for each seat won and more than £45 for every 200 votes received.
Apart from this financial incentive to field candidates in all constituencies, Reform says this increases democracy as it gives more people in the country the opportunity to vote for them.
advertisingThis all happened after an AI-generated candidate stood in the recent UK general election: Steve Stood in the Brighton Pavilion constituencyBut got only 179 votes.
Its creator, Steve Endacott, said he wanted his avatar to be present in the House of Commons to counter the British population’s disillusionment with politics.
At the time of the election he said, “I will try to use technology to connect directly with the opinions of my voters.”
The UK is no stranger to innovative election candidates. It’s not uncommon to see candidates such as Elmo, Count Binface and Barmy Brunch running for seats alongside more typical politicians.
advertisingUnfortunately, the United Kingdom will have to wait a little longer for an artificial intelligence-generated MP to enter the Houses of Parliament.
