Bank of England warns public as deepfake videos of Farage-Bailey brawl spread on X

AI-generated deepfake videos depicting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage physically fighting Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey on the set of BBC One's Question Time — including one showing Farage brandishing a gun — spread across X on 9 June 2026. The videos were linked to financial scams impersonating the Bank of England and other central banks to exploit members of the public online.

Bailey publicly urged vigilance and called on people to report the videos for removal, while Farage himself felt compelled to clarify that, policy disagreements aside, he had not in fact attacked the central bank governor. The Bank has raised the matter with Reform UK and social media platforms. X, which explicitly prohibits impersonation, had not commented at time of publication — and the UK's Online Safety Act provisions covering fraudulent advertising don't come into force until next year.