Reform UK under pressure to prove all its candidates were real people

Mark Matlock was initially suspected of being fake, in part due to his election photo looking AI-generated, but turned out to be a real person. Photograph: Reform UK

Reform UK has come under pressure to provide evidence its candidates at the general election were all real people after doubts were raised about a series of hopefuls who stood without providing any photos, biographies or contact details.

Reform insists every one of its 609 candidates on 4 July were real, while accepting that some were in effect “paper candidates” who did no campaigning, and were there simply to help increase the party’s vote share.