Candidate faces altered campaign images accusation
Reform UKA council by-election candidate has been accused of posting images on social media that have been altered using AI or photo editing.
Hazel Edwards, former Conservative mayor of Barrow in Cumbria, is standing for Reform UK in two elections on 4 June - to represent Hawcoat and Newbarns on Westmorland and Furness Council and Hawcoat on Barrow Town Council.
Two pictures of herself and campaigners posted on Facebook show them in a park in one and on a street in the other. But some comments under the post query whether the backgrounds are real and a Labour candidate has described altering images as "dishonest".
Edwards declined to comment. Reform UK did not respond to a request for comment.
The pictures, posted on 19 May and also shared by Reform UK's Barrow and Furness branch page, were captioned: "Out and about in Hawcoat and Newbarns dodging the rain."
The post continues to say they had met "so many positive residents" and thanked supporters "from Barrow, Keswick, Ulverston and Carlisle today".
Reform UKSome commenting on the post said they believed a genuine image of Edwards and supporters had been superimposed onto other backgrounds.
One questioned where in Hawcoat and Newbarns the picture showing a park had been taken and received a reply from an account under the name Leonie Smith, which is the name of a Reform election agent.
Smith said the original background had been removed as it "showed a business premises in the background and we respect that some businesses don't like to be politically involved".
The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached the Barrow branch of Reform to ask why it would alter images instead of taking the picture elsewhere but it did not respond.
Labour candidate Mike Leach said he believed the behaviour was "dishonest".
He said it "shows you can't trust Reform to tell the truth on even the most basic things".
The Barrow and Furness Conservatives said on Facebook: "Reform UK candidates when they find out their campaign image was generated by the same tech their party wants to blame for 'stealing jobs'."
Standing in the Hawcoat and Newbarns ward by-election for Westmorland and Furness Council are: Rebekah Atkinson, Green Party; Hazel Edwards, Reform UK; Marco Fawcett, Conservative Party; Mike Leach, Labour Party; and Stephen Pickthall, Liberal Democrats.
For the Hawcoat ward by-election for Barrow Town Council the candidates are: Therese (Terry) Assouad, Labour Party; Hazel Edwards, Reform UK; and Marco Fawcett, Conservative Party.
