A former Conservative Minister who appeared in a deepfake video of him announcing he had joined Reform UK has reported the matter to police, reports have indicated.
Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman declared that he had "no intention of joining Reform or any other party", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A deepfake video of the Tory MP surfaced on social media and appeared to show him announcing he had joined Nigel Farage's party.
Mr Freeman, a minister under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, appears to say in the video that "the time for half measures is over".
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He then appears to say the "Conservative party had lost its way" before announcing he was leaving to Reform.
Mr Freeman said in a statement on his social media that "a video has been circulating on social media".
"Using AI-generated imagery of me announcing that I have abandoned the Conservative Party to join the Reform Party," he added.
"This video is entirely fake and false and I want to make it absolutely clear that I have not left the Conservative Party to join Reform, and have no intention of doing so."
George Freeman said the video was fake
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Referencing the fake clip, Mr Freeman said the video "is a fabrication".
"Created without my knowledge or consent," he added.
"(It) uses my image and voice without permission."
Mr Freeman added: "Regardless of my position as an MP, that should be an offence".
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The Tory MP has denied defecting to Nigel Farage's Reform UK
| PA"This sort of political disinformation has the potential to seriously distort, disrupt and corrupt our democracy," he said.
Mr Freeman said he was unsure whether the incident was a "politically motivated attack" or a "dangerous prank".
The former Science Minister said it was obvious there had been a rise in political disinformation, "disruption, and extremism" in recent months.
"I have reported this matter to the relevant authorities," he added.
"I urge anyone who sees the video to report it immediately rather than share it further."
Norfolk Police has been contacted for comment.
Mr Freeman has been a Conservative MP since 2010.
He served in a number of ministerial capacities in the previous Government.
Meanwhile, the MP had referred himself to the standards commissioner after it was claimed a company he had worked for helped him write questions to the Government.
Mr Freeman asked an environmental monitoring company "what to ask about" when submitting questions about the sector the firm operates in, the Sunday Times previously reported.
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