Claim:
A photo authentically depicts British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wearing a pink dress and head covering.
Rating:
Fake ( About this rating? )
Context:
The image was created using artificial-intelligence (AI) software.
Even before U.K. voters elected British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer as prime minister on July 4, 2024 , a photograph supposedly showing him wearing a pink dress and head covering — an outfit often worn by Muslim women in some regions of the world — circulated on social media ( archive ):
People seemingly based in Britain or the rest of Europe shared the image with comments in English and other languages. The earliest posting of the image was dated Feb. 13, 2024, according to our search of Google Images .
The image was a fabrication; it was created using artificial-intelligence (AI) software .
We came to that conclusion by researching the image's backstory and scanning it through software designed to detect AI technology.
No reputable news outlet had published the photo, which, if it were real, would be eminently newsworthy considering Starmer's high-profile status.
Meanwhile, two AI content detectors — AI or Not and Is It AI ? — identified the photo as "likely AI," with the latter tool giving the photo a 96.43% AI score. It was unclear who created the image or posted it online first. Also unknown was the type of image-generating AI technology used.
The image of Starmer — who is an atheist and married to a Jewish woman — circulated during political tension in Europe, both inside and outside of the European Union. More than 30 countries are holding (or have already held) local, regional and national elections in 2024 (not including the European parliamentary elections that took place in June). Also, the region's refugee crisis and the Israel-Hamas war are furthering political polarization, particularly in terms of policies governing immigration. Political parties on the far left and the far right are benefitting.
One of the far right's frequent attacks on left-wing parties was their perceived " open door " policy proposal for immigration and supposed naïveté with the rise and evolution of radical islamism within and across Europe, a problem political scientist and researcher Hugo Micheron has investigated, quantified and reported in several books .
The U.K., in particular, was the target of such attacks due to the fact that it has historically attracted immigrants from former colonies — many of which are Muslim-majority countries. As of 2022, nearly 15% of the population was born outside of the U.K., and two-thirds of that portion were born outside Europe, according to Immigration Advice Service , a network of immigration lawyers in the U.K.
On July 4, 2024, Starmer's Labour Party won an unprecedented majority in Parliament, securing 412 seats and leaving Conservatives with about 120 seats (vote counting hadn't concluded as of this writing). Conservatives had been in power for 14 years.
Sources:
A Guide to Labour Party Anti-Semitism Claims . 1 Aug. 2018. www.bbc.com , https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45030552 .
Hope, Molly. 'The UK Can Bridge the Prosperity Gap'. Centre for Cities , 20 June 2024, https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/the-uk-can-bridge-the-prosperity-gap/ .
'How Many Immigrants Are in the UK? - UK Immigration Data | IAS'. Immigration Advice Service , 30 Mar. 2023, https://iasservices.org.uk/how-many-immigrants-are-in-the-uk/ .
'Islamists Are Bullying Britain into Submission'. Suella Braverman , 22 Feb. 2024, https://www.suellabraverman.co.uk/news/islamists-are-bullying-britain-submission .
Mortimer, Josiah. 'Liz Truss Claims Labour Party Is "In Hock" to Terrorists in Conspiracy Laden Rant on Fringe Right-Wing Talk Show'. Byline Times , 29 May 2024, https://bylinetimes.com/2024/05/29/liz-truss-claims-labour-party-is-in-hock-to-terrorists-in-conspiracy-laden-rant-on-fringe-right-wing-talk-show/ .
'Next UK Government Must Address "long-Term Scars" of Brexit and Austerity – Study'. Yahoo Finance , 26 June 2024, https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/next-uk-government-must-address-141500549.html .
Riley-Smith, Ben, et al. 'Lindsay Hoyle on Brink after Labour Gaza Vote Walkout'. The Telegraph , 21 Feb. 2024. www.telegraph.co.uk , https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/02/21/lindsay-hoyle-brink-labour-gaza-ceasefire-vote-snp/ .
'UK PM Sunak Denies His Party Has "Islamophobic Tendencies" after Anderson Comments'. Reuters , 26 Feb. 2024. www.reuters.com , https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-sunak-denies-his-party-has-islamophobic-tendencies-after-anderson-comments-2024-02-26/ .
Dyer, Henry. 'Jeremy Corbyn Re-Elected in Islington North after Expulsion from Labour'. The Guardian , 5 July 2024. The Guardian , https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/jeremy-corbyn-re-elected-in-islington-north-for-first-time-as-independent-mp .
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