You don’t have to delve too deeply into social media to uncover several completely untrue conspiracy theories involving Keir Starmer, all amplified by Britain’s far right. The latest – far less personal than others but seemingly scandalous nonetheless – claims that the prime minister faked a social media video interview with a single mother in which they discussed help with fuel bills for those on lower incomes.
Former Tory MP Andrew Bridgen wrote “it turns out Starmer is lying again and the ‘single mother of three – Nicola’ is actually Abby Raworth, an actress. The set is Starmer’s own kitchen.” Thank goodness then, for sensible folk like Daily Mail columnist Andrew Neil, who wrote “I believe this to be a perfectly valid political video… the stuff about her ‘acting’ the part and having another name is Twitter bollocks”.
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Unfortunately, Neil did so only after amplifying the claims himself in an earlier post, which asked: “1. Is Nicola a genuine single mother with three children? 2. Is Nicola her real name? 3. Is she an actress? With a different name? 4. Is she an actress who is also a single mother with three children? 5. Is that her house and kitchen?”
That post has been viewed over 1.9m times, helping to spread the wild accusations into the mainstream. Neil’s subsequent posts declaring it all to be untrue have had much less engagement, but he has not chosen to delete the original, and slaps down social media users who suggest he should.
Neil says he was acting in the “pursuit of facts”. But anyone expecting him to disseminate “Twitter bollocks peddled by numpties” about Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and other right wing figures in future before pursuing the facts is advised not to hold their breath.
