Nigel Farage has called on X to act at “the highest level” after fake AI-generated adverts depicting him fighting Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey were repeatedly shown to users in the UK. The Reform UK leader told reporters on Tuesday that the party contacted the platform on Monday, adding he hoped it would remove the ads “incredibly quickly”. The ads, which show the two men on a set resembling BBC Question Time, have appeared repeatedly in recent days. Some of the promoted posts falsely depict Farage kicking, grabbing and lunging after Bailey, with imagery showing bruising on their faces. Others show them being separated by police officers, and one even depicts Farage holding a gun while grappling with Bailey.
“You may have seen some bizarre AI videos on this platform today,” Farage wrote in a post on Monday evening. “Whilst Andrew Bailey and I have our disagreements, I would never take it that far!” Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Grangemouth on Tuesday, he added that he did not know “whether to laugh or whether to be angry”. “The trouble is it’s an AI fake but it looks real in every way, and people know that the governor and I have had our disagreements over things over the years,” he said.
“Farage calls on X to remove AI deepfake ads of him fighting Bank governor Andrew Bailey.”
The Bank of England has also urged X users to report the ads. “Unfortunately, fake adverts impersonating the Bank of England and other central banks are on the rise,” Governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement. “These scams are designed to criminally exploit the public, especially the vulnerable, when they are online.” He urged the public to stay vigilant and “report these scams”, adding: “That way authorities can better root out digital deception like this and permanently remove the fraudsters responsible for what is a truly online scourge.”
The BBC was able to identify that many of the ads directed people to sites promoting AI cryptocurrency trading schemes or apps. The Bank of England says on its website that neither it nor its staff endorse or advertise any products. Many of the adverts viewed by the BBC were posted by X user accounts with blue ticks, a symbol indicating a subscription to the platform’s Premium tier. Platform owner Elon Musk previously touted changes to the verification badge as “the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over” after buying Twitter.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said tech firms must take responsibility for the fake images. His spokesman said “there is” responsibility on platforms, though the UK’s Online Safety Act contains provisions requiring tech platforms to tackle fraudulent advertising – duties that do not come into force until next year. X has been approached for comment but has not yet responded. The platform explicitly bars impersonation of individuals to “deceive others”.