The poisonous spread of false information about migrants and asylum seekers has once again exposed how parts of Britain’s right and far-right commentariat are willing to sacrifice truth for outrage, clicks and division.
This week, former MEP and columnist Annunziata Rees-Mogg came under heavy criticism after sharing wildly inaccurate claims suggesting asylum seekers were responsible for 44 percent of sexual offences in Dorset. The claim was not merely exaggerated — it was completely false.
Despite telling her 73,000 followers on X that she had “checked” the figures and that they were “true”, Dorset authorities swiftly dismantled the narrative with actual evidence.
According to David Sidwick, the real figure was approximately one per cent.
Between January 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, there were eight reported sexual offences in Bournemouth where the alleged offender was linked to asylum accommodation hotels. During the same period, there were 808 sexual offences reported across the Bournemouth area as a whole. The maths is clear. The facts are clear. Yet the lie spread faster than the correction ever could.
This is the real danger of modern culture war politics. Facts are no longer important to those determined to manufacture fear and resentment. Statistics are twisted, fabricated or ripped entirely out of context to paint vulnerable groups as existential threats. By the time the truth emerges, the damage is already done.
Rees-Mogg eventually deleted her post following widespread condemnation, but deletion does not erase responsibility. Public figures with large platforms know precisely the impact their words can have. When they amplify inflammatory falsehoods about migrants and sexual violence, they are not engaging in honest debate; they are feeding suspicion, hostility and hatred.
What makes this episode even more disturbing is the growing role of AI-generated misinformation in poisoning public discourse. Sidwick explicitly warned that fabricated content was being circulated online and boosted by artificial intelligence systems designed to maximise outrage and engagement.
He stated that “spuriously generated AI material” has “no place in serious public discourse when it spreads fabricated claims and inflames tensions within our communities.”
He is absolutely right.
Across social media, networks of anonymous accounts and politically motivated influencers churn out misleading graphics, fake crime statistics and manipulated videos designed to provoke anger about immigration. Many are shared thousands of times before anyone checks their authenticity. A recent BBC investigation found that some of these accounts may even be operating from overseas with the explicit goal of destabilising domestic politics in Britain.
This is not free speech in any meaningful democratic sense. It is industrialised disinformation.
The consequences are serious. False narratives about migrants and asylum seekers contribute to rising hostility, harassment and even violence against minority communities. They also undermine trust in legitimate institutions, including the police, local authorities and the media itself.
When people repeatedly encounter fabricated “statistics” online, they begin to lose the ability to distinguish reality from propaganda. A study from Queen’s University Belfast warned precisely of this phenomenon, finding that the more exposure people have to AI-generated misinformation, the harder it becomes for them to tell fact from fiction.
This should alarm everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
Criticising government immigration policy is entirely legitimate in a democracy. Concerns about housing pressures, public services or border control can and should be debated openly. But there is a profound difference between genuine political discussion and the deliberate spread of fabricated crime statistics intended to demonise entire groups of people.
The Dorset case shows how easily misinformation can metastasise when amplified by influential voices seeking attention in an increasingly toxic online culture war.
Britain cannot allow politics to descend into a post-truth free-for-all where inflammatory lies are rewarded while factual corrections are ignored. Public figures, social media platforms and AI developers all carry responsibility for stopping the spread of dangerous falsehoods before they inflame communities further.
The public deserve evidence, honesty and accountability, not algorithmic fearmongering dressed up as journalism.
Statement by David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
“There is misinformation circulating online, amplified by AI-generated content, falsely claiming that migrants in Dorset are responsible for 44% of sexual offences. This information is categorically incorrect, and the statistics quoted are not from Dorset Police.
Between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026, there were eight sexual offence reports where the alleged offender was reported to be from asylum accommodation hotels in Bournemouth. Every report is investigated thoroughly.
Across the same period, there were a total of 808 sexual offences reported within the Bournemouth area. The figure relating to asylum accommodation, therefore, equates to one percent (1%) of the total.
Spuriously generated AI material being pushed out online has no place in serious public discourse when it spreads fabricated claims and inflames tensions within our communities. Misinformation of this kind risks damaging public trust and undermining confidence in legitimate policing data.
The public deserves facts, not algorithmic sensationalism. Technology platforms and AI developers must take responsibility for ensuring false and misleading claims are not presented as truth.”
