Fact check: Fake screenshot claimed to show Labour candidate’s post

There is no evidence for a post by a new Labour candidate, while both he and the potential creator of the screenshot have said it is fake.

Social media users have shared a screenshot (Tim Goode/PA) (PA Wire)

A screenshot has been shared on social media of what purports to be a post on social media site X made by a new Labour candidate.

Evaluation

The post does not appear in the X feed of Labour’s new candidate, and the person who appears to originally have posted the screenshot has said “this tweet is fake”.

The facts

The post in the screenshot, which speaks about Palestinians, claims to be from Luke Akehurst, who was unveiled as Labour’s candidate for North Durham.

Mr Akehurst has referred to the screenshot as “obviously fake”.

The post is dated May 8, 2008 at 1.09pm. A search of X for all posts his account shared on that day reveals no such post.

A politician initially shared the screenshot, but later removed it, saying it “may have been a fake”.

The screenshot appears to originate from a post on X at 11.43am on May 30, 2024.

The social media user who posted that later wrote: “I hate him more than anyone but this tweet is fake.”

Replying to another user who posted the screenshot, the social media user added: “This is fake.”

In a discussion about Mr Akehurst, the social media user wrote: “I lie about awful people in order to make them look worse than they are. Not difficult.”

Links

First post on X (archived)

Second post on X (archived)

Labour post revealing Mr Akehurst’s candidacy (archived)

Mr Akehurst calling the post fake (archived)

Search of Mr Akehurst’s posts

Third post on X (archived)

Fourth post on X (archived)

Fifth post on X (archived)

Sixth post on X (archived)

Seventh post on X (archived)