Over 150 UK-focused YouTube Channels Spread Fake Anti-Labour Narratives in 2025
In 2025, over 150 anonymous UK-focused YouTube channels used cheap AI tools to disseminate anti-Labour narratives targeting Keir Starmer, collectively amassing 5.3 million subscribers, producing 56,000 videos, and garnering 1.2 billion views. The study, conducted by non-profit Reset Tech, revealed that the channels employed alarmist rhetoric, AI-generated scripts, and British narrators to create content, with Starmer named in video titles or descriptions 15,600 times.
Examples of these channels and their content included Britain News-night, which featured videos suggesting Starmer and Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner were facing arrest; TheUKPoliticalBrief, posting about immigrant crime and marches on Westminster; UK NewsCore, alleging Nigel Farage ousted Starmer live; and Gold Up!, showing a purported Starmer meltdown on live TV. Some videos also fabricated stories about disputes between the royal family and the government.
Following inquiry by The Guardian, YouTube removed some of these channels. When Reset Tech approached the platform, all 150 identified UK channels were taken down. However, Reset Tech noted that some creators who posted tens or hundreds of similar videos remained active on the platform. Beyond the UK, Reset Tech mapped 420 problematic channels across Europe, with similar anti-political content in German, French, Spanish, and Polish languages, and Russian-speaking creators operating some channels.
Reset Tech assessed the UK-focused network appears driven by monetization motives of opportunistic creators rather than foreign actors, yet it poses risks to public trust and could influence elections. Responding to the report, a Labour spokesperson declared that fake news is a threat to democracy. The UK government has formed an online advertising taskforce aimed at tackling the monetization of harmful content.
A YouTube spokesperson stressed that spam and deceptive practices are not allowed on the platform. They enforce policies impartially regardless of political viewpoint or content generation methods. YouTube highlighted that its homepage, search results, and recommendations prominently feature authoritative news content. Since the first quarter of 2025, YouTube confirmed it had removed more than 2.1 million channels violating its community guidelines.
