Local politicians relying on AI risk deepening 'very high' mistrust in democracy
Widespread use of AI from politicians could be further harming public perception of politicians
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
At a time when trust in politicians is at an all time low, many try to present their most authentic selves in an effort to appeal.
Every time you see a politician with a pint, this is exactly the vibe they are going for.
But since generative AI stepped into the picture, that approach has been at risk. Because if your image is edited, and your words not written by you, how can you present as authentic?
And there are deeper concerns about the impact on democracy, all unpicked in today’s edition.
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Lancashire briefing
🌹 A big thank you to everyone who attended the hustings on Monday night in Preston, organised by ourselves, Blog Preston and The Lancashire Post. Representatives from Labour, Lib Dem, Reform UK, Conservative and the Greens all spoke in what was, for the most part, and open and constructive debate ahead of 7 May’s Preston City Council elections. Full coverage will follow.
🧑🧑🧒🧒 The majority of Preston families who need to adapt their homes to help them care for disabled children face “significant shortfalls” in the financial support they will receive from the state, it has been claimed. A meeting of Preston City Council heard that 21 households with children who have complex needs are currently awaiting the outcome of applications for disabled facilities grants (DFGs) from the authority. The Liberal Democrat main opposition group at the town hall warned that the funding provided would be insufficient in most cases – and blamed a recent policy change in Preston that reduced the maximum amount that could be awarded from £50,000 to £30,000. However, the Labour administration defended the new cap, claiming that it enabled more people to receive help under a scheme that had previously been running out of money in the first half of each year.
🌳 Three Ribble Valley councillors have defected to Reform UK. One claims Britain is in a ‘complete mess’ and he joined Reform partly because his father, who fought in the Second World War, ‘would have been shocked’ at issues today. Ian Brown and Derek Brocklehurst, both formerly independents, and Richard Newmark, who was a Conservative, have all moved to Reform. It means the council now has four Reform councillors, including Stephen Atkinson, who moved to Reform last year and is also Lancashire County Council’s leader. But the Ribble Valley remains Conservative-led. Of 40 borough councillors, there now 16 Conservatives, six Lib-Dems, five Labour, four Green & Progressive Liberals, four Reform UK and five independents. Its political make-up has changed a lot in just a few years, including the arrival of Green and Labour councillors.
🗳️ A group of independent Preston politicians has severed ties with the new socialist party co-founded by Jeremy Corbyn – with one of them branding it “a dreadful waste of a fantastic opportunity”. The trio – who operate under the ‘Preston Independents’ banner and sit as part of the main opposition group on Lancashire County Council – signed up to join Your Party shortly after it was formed by the ex-Labour leader and fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana last summer. They briefly considered fully subsuming themselves into the new party once it was formally established, but the broader Preston Independents collective – which has around 55 active members in the city – later settled on retaining their local identity and autonomy, while allowing individuals within the grouping to choose whether to also hold Your Party membership. That decision followed a fractious launch for the new party – and repeated fallings-out between Corbyn and Sultana. Now, however, the three independents elected to County Hall to represent various parts of Preston have walked away from the fledgling left-wing movement altogether.
Local politicians relying on AI risk deepening ‘very high’ mistrust in democracy
By Luke Beardsworth
Politicians communicating using generative AI are risking deepening the already ‘very high’ mistrust in democracy.
That is the verdict from multiple academics spoken by The Lancashire Lead after the growth in local politicians in the county using programmes like ChatGPT to post on social media.
The way that those politicians use AI varies greatly in regularity and use but our research shows that one councillor in Preston used it to generate the vast majority of their written posts - often to attack political rivals.
Others may use it to generate graphics or to edit photos of themselves to create a more flattering or polished version of themselves - including Reform UK’s deputy leader at Lancashire County Council Simon Evans.
Filip Bialy is a Research Associate within Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy (DiCED) project at the University of Manchester. His research looks at the impacts of AI on the processes of politics and he co-authored ‘The first TikTok election? Social media, generative AI, and data-driven campaigning in the 2024 UK General Election’.
He told The Lancashire Lead that there are several concerns raised by the wider use of AI in politics.
He said: “First, the very fact that the content is AI-generated, rather than crafted by humans, may result in the production and publication of erroneous, if not entirely false, messages. This is why larger political campaigns might be reluctant to use generative AI without proper human oversight that limits the risk of politically costly mistakes.
“Second, over-reliance on AI in political communication, at a time when mistrust in democracy is already very high, may result in even greater distrust in politicians and political institutions among voters. It could also be counterproductive, as voters seem to value authenticity in their politicians.”
He added that the government is considering requiring the labelling of AI-generated content. But he also believes that there would be no incentive for politicians to be transparent on the matter and that, as AI content continues to improve and therefore harder to detect, it may end up not feasible.
Aidy Riggott is the Conservative leader at County Hall. While the majority of his colleagues were unseated by Reform UK candidates in the 2025 Lancashire County Council elections, he saw off the challenge by 30 votes.
He said that he thinks authenticity in online politics is important and makes it easier for residents to spot him if he’s out in the real world.
