A GB News parody account has been suspended from Twitter after posting a fake viral tweet about Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The account - with the handle ‘@GBNews_UK’ – tweeted a spoof news story claiming that a lorry carrying £20,000 of oysters and champagne to Mr Rees-Mogg’s house was stuck in traffic due to travel chaos in Dover.
The tweet read: “A lorry with £20,000 worth of perishable food destined for Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Somerset mansion is stuck in queues at Calais, according to a source.
“The luxury food haul – including seafood, oysters, saucisson & champagne – was for Rees-Mogg’s summer party today, but now won’t arrive.”
The tweet amassed thousands of likes and retweets despite several users pointing out that it was peddling false information.
Anyone who visits the account is now met with the message: “Account suspended. Twitter suspends accounts that violate the Twitter Rules.”
Dr Julia Grace Patterson, Chief Executive of pressure group EveryDoctor UK, wrote: “Have just deleted a tweet which I had retweeted from an account which looked like it was GB News, but wasn’t. Thanks for flagging this guys!”
In response, one user said: “I know the tweet, and the fact that it was even slightly believable in the first place is a damning indictment of where we are.”
