In an emotional and eye-opening interview, Penny Mordaunt has revealed the disturbing reality of being targeted by deepfake pornography—calling the experience “deliberately humiliating and violent.”
The former Conservative MP, who previously served as Leader of the House of Commons, shared her personal ordeal during a conversation with BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight, urging the government and tech companies to take real action.
Deepfakes Are No Longer Fiction—They’re a Weekly Reality
Mordaunt didn’t mince words when explaining just how common these abuses have become for women in politics.
She told the BBC, “Not a week has gone by in my parliamentary career without something like this happening.”
The former MP emphasized that AI-generated abuse, especially non-consensual deepfake porn, is not an isolated incident—but a persistent threat.
For context, deepfake porn is created using artificial intelligence.
The process involves merging someone’s real photo with AI-generated explicit content, often stripping clothes or creating fake nude imagery without the victim’s consent.
Channel 4 Investigation Uncovers Over 250 Victims
Penny said she first found out about her likeness being misused through a Channel 4 investigation led by presenter Cathy Newman.
The investigation uncovered that the faces of more than 250 public figures had been stolen and used to generate pornographic deepfakes.
Mordaunt revealed she was among the many parliamentarians affected, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, former education secretary Gillian Keegan, and Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel.
“AI porn was generated using my face,” she said bluntly.
A Call for Accountability and Stronger Social Media Rules
Reflecting on the emotional toll, Mordaunt said she hasn’t actually seen the fake images herself, but described them as “deliberately humiliating and violent.”
She stressed that such content doesn’t stay confined to the internet—it leads to real-world consequences, including harassment and threats.
“People behind this need to ask themselves what damage they’re causing.
These things spill over into real life, and that’s not just theory—it’s happened to me and to many of my colleagues.”
Children Are Being Exposed and Left Traumatised
But for Mordaunt, the bigger concern lies with the impact on children.
She painted a sobering picture: “If a child saw this on the way to school, they’d end up in therapy.”
She argued that while society wouldn’t tolerate kids seeing such things on the street, there’s a strange acceptance of them encountering it online.
Referencing Australia’s under-16 social media ban, Mordaunt said she supports similar bold steps in the UK, stressing that the damage being done to young people is severe and growing.
Her Message to Elon Musk and Big Tech: Step Up
Mordaunt also had a direct message for tech billionaires like Elon Musk, who owns X (formerly Twitter).
She challenged him to take real responsibility: “That man is taking humans to Mars—surely he can figure out proper age verification.”
She added that banning certain platforms altogether might be necessary if they continue to fail at protecting users, especially children.
A Reminder That Parliament Isn’t All Bad
Despite the dark side of her time in politics, Mordaunt acknowledged that being in Parliament had its positive moments.
She didn’t let these experiences completely overshadow the rewarding aspects of public service—but made it clear that this kind of abuse can’t continue unchecked.
UK Law Now Recognises Deepfake Porn as a Crime
Fortunately, new legal protections are in place.
Under the Online Safety Act, which came into effect last year, creating or sharing intimate images of someone without their consent—including deepfakes—is now a criminal offence in the UK.
But as Mordaunt’s experience shows, the law alone isn’t enough—tech companies, governments, and individuals all have a role to play in stopping this kind of digital violence.