Ralf Little locked out of Twitter after spoofing Tory press office

Actor Ralf Little spoofed the Conservative Party's attempts to impersonate an independent fact-checking service on Twitter. Picture: Ian West/PA Wire/PA Images - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

The actor Ralf Little says he has been unable to access his Twitter account after he changed it to spoof the Conservative Party’s own attempts to pass itself off as a fact-checking service.

A message from @RalfLittle: 
Just been logged out of my twitter account without explanation. Assume I've been suspended. Which is fine. But only if the @CCHQPress account is suspended for the same thing. Please continue to press the issue with twitter in my absence. 
Ralf x
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) November 20, 2019

Little changed his account handle to “Conservative Press Orifice” and his profile picture to the Tories’ tree logo as a means to spoof the party.

In his biography, he clarified: “Not a fact checker. Or the Conservative Press Office.”

The Conservatives’s press office came under fierce criticism during the ITV general election debate when its Twitter account attempted to impersonate an independent fact-checking service, changing its handle to “factcheckUK” and its logo to a purple check mark.

MORE: Tory party criticised after disguising Twitter as ‘Fact Check UK’ during ITV debateIn its bio, the account clarified: “Fact checking Labour from CCHQ”.

You know what, fuck it, I'm changing it back for 24 hours so that anyone who hasn't seen it yet can understand the joke properly, and how utterly devious and disgusting it was of the real @CCHQPress to do it in the first place. See you in a bit...
— Conservative Press Orifice (@RalfLittle) November 19, 2019

Since changing his own account, Royle Family actor Little now believes he has been locked out of it by Twitter – and complained that the social media platform had not taken the same measures with the Tory party.

WATCH: ‘It’s dystopian’ – Presenter criticises Tory chair for ‘misleading’ the public over ‘fact check’ stuntSeemingly on behalf of Little, James O’Brien tweeted: “A message from

@RalfLittle: Just been logged out of my twitter account without explanation. Assume I’ve been suspended. Which is fine. But only if the @CCHQPress account is suspended for the same thing. Please continue to press the issue with twitter in my absence.

Ralf x”.

Prior to this, Little had continued to spoof the party with sarcastic tweets and added: “You know what, fuck it, I’m changing it back for 24 hours so that anyone who hasn’t seen it yet can understand the joke properly, and how utterly devious and disgusting it was of the real @CCHQPress to do it in the first place. See you in a bit…”

Twitter’s terms of service include rules about not impersonating other accounts. “Twitter accounts that pose as another person, brand, or organization in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended under Twitter’s impersonation policy,” states the policy.