This week we’re going online and taking a look at some of the misinformation circulating widely on Facebook, X and TikTok

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When a politician says something misleading or untrue, Full Fact initially asks them to correct their statement or to not repeat it.

In 2024 we’ve sent 15 requests to MPs or Ministers asking them to correct themselves and so far all have failed to reply.

As we move towards a general election, we’re not only looking at what politicians say in Parliament. We're also looking at what politicians are saying in their local constituencies. Last week we showed you how Full Fact supporters are enabling us to fact check misinformation that politicians put out in your community.

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FACT CHECKS


** Outdated energy bill figures circulating online ([link removed])
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Earlier this month the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that the UK had seen two consecutive quarters of negative growth, meeting the technical definition of a recession.

On the same day a post appeared on Facebook claiming British energy bills were rising by 54%, while French energy bills were rising by 4%.

The energy bill claims are outdated and appear to refer to figures from April 2022, when the rise in French energy bills was capped at 4% and the UK’s energy price cap increased by 54%. French energy bills have increased since then, by 15% in 2023 and by up to 10% at the start of 2024. Energy bills in the UK fell in 2023, and although the energy price cap increased by 5% at the start of 2024, it will fall by 12.3% in April 2024.

The post went on to claim that British Gas had posted profits of £6.5 billion that same day. However, this wasn’t the case. British Gas announced £750 million in profits for 2023, while it was Centrica, its parent company, that posted £6.5 billion in pre-tax profits.


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** Primark is not shutting down ([link removed])
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Videos that have been viewed over 7 million times on TikTok have claimed that Primark is shutting down on 1 March 2024 “due to bankruptcy”. We saw the same claims appear on X and Facebook too, but this is false.

A Primark spokesperson told Full Fact: “We can confirm that there's no truth to these rumours, we're not going anywhere. All our stores are open as usual and there's lots to look forward to as we continue to grow and invest over £100 million in our UK stores this year.”


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** No council tax exemptions for homes with prayer rooms ([link removed])
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An old myth has been circulating again on social media that claims Muslims with a room dedicated to prayer within their properties can get council tax exemptions. This is not true.

The claim has been spreading online for over a decade.

The House of Commons Library (a politically neutral body who provide high quality data and analysis to MPs) have written: “These claims have no basis in council tax law. It is not possible for owners of domestic property to avoid council tax by claiming that their property, or part of it, is used for religious purposes.”


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MORE FACT CHECKS
Also this week...
* Decade old headline about the use of a homophobic slur on social media circulating online ([link removed])
* Post exaggerates benefits available to asylum seekers ([link removed])
* Fiona Bruce’s husband not paid £3.9 million per year to advertise for the government ([link removed])

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