FACT CHECK: Viral X Image Purporting To Show Keir Starmer Wearing Pink Dress Is AI-Generated

A viral image shared on X purports to show recently elected U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wearing a pink dress and a matching head covering.

What will Britain look like after 5 years of Sir Keir Starmer? pic.twitter.com/w73tW0Rkgz

— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) June 10, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim is false. On July 5, Snopes reported the image was generated with artificial intelligence (AI).

Fact Check:

Starmer recently became prime minister after the Labour Party won a “landslide victory” in the U.K. general election, according to CNN. Labour’s victory marks an end to “14 years of Conservative rule” in the U.K., the outlet reported.

The X image, viewed over two million times as of writing, purports to show Starmer wearing a pink dress and a matching head covering. “What will Britain look like after 5 years of Sir Keir Starmer?” the image’s caption reads.

The claim is false, however. Check Your Fact did not find the image of Starmer referenced in any recent credible news reports. In fact, the opposite is true. On July 5, Snopes reported the image was AI-generated. The outlet performed AI content detection scans using two different websites, with one rating the image as 96.43% likely to have been AI-generated.

Check Your Fact also performed an AI content detection scan using the website, “Hive Moderation.” The results of the same scan indicate that the image’s input is “not likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content,” producing a score of 11.9%. However, it is important to note that AI detectors can be tricked if texture or grain is added to an image, making the detector less likely to correctly identify the image as being AI-generated, according to Business Insider.

In addition, Starmer has neither commented on the image via his official website nor his verified social media accounts. (RELATED: Post Claims Zelenskyy’s Wife Bought A Bugatti In Paris)

Check Your Fact has contacted a media forensics and AI expert for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

This is not the first time an AI-generated image has been mistaken as authentic. Check Your Fact previously debunked an image shared on X purporting to show a group of Indonesian women supporting Israel.