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Dear Friend,
In the newsletter this week...
* Express says the UK spends 2.5% of its GDP on defence
* Patients are facing long waits in England’s A&Es this winter
* Online ‘Porsches for Albania’ claim isn’t quite right
* Government tracker
But first...
European democracy was the topic of the Munich Security Conference over the weekend as US Vice President JD Vance took aim at the continent over its record on freedom of speech and democracy.
In the wake of these remarks, Chris Morris our CEO writes in defence of facts in public debate.
Read more... ([link removed])
By fact checking information online we’re creating more speech, not less, giving those viewing the content freedom to choose who to believe. Our approach has never been to censor or endorse the removal of bad information we see online.
Best wishes,
Craig, Digital Campaigns Manager—Full Fact
** Express says the UK spends 2.5% of its GDP on defence ([link removed])
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That isn’t correct - the UK currently spends around 2.3% of its GDP on defence.
The government has said it is committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, but has yet to say when it will do so.
Read more ([link removed])
More on this topic:
* UK defence spending: explained ([link removed])
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** Patients are facing long waits in England’s A&Es this winter ([link removed])
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In January 2025, the proportion of emergency patients waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted reached the highest level since the data started being recorded in 2010.
The NHS also measures the performance of A&Es by requiring 95% of patients to be admitted to hospital, sent to another provider for treatment or discharged within four hours of arrival. This target has not been met since 2015, however.
We look at the data on these and other measures to see how A&E departments and ambulance services have been coping over the winter period.
Read more ([link removed])
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Support Full Fact
As a registered charity, Full Fact relies on the public to support our independent, impartial fact checking and advocacy work. Monthly donations help challenge harmful misinformation from politicians, in the media, and online.
Please support Full Fact with a monthly gift of £10
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** Online ‘Porsches for Albania’ claim isn’t quite right ([link removed])
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More than five thousand users on X have shared a post claiming the UK donated 15 electric Porsches to prisons in Albania as part of a drive to net zero.
The UK donated 15 electric Volkswagens, not Porsches, to prisons in Albania. This was part of a deal where Albania accepted the return of 200 Albanian prisoners serving sentences in England and Wales.
Read more ([link removed])
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** Government tracker ([link removed])
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Full Fact’s most recent updates to our tracker of government policy.
Monday 17th February
* Has the government scrapped the Rwanda migrant agreement? ([link removed])
* Has the government kept its pledge not to increase income tax rates? ([link removed])
* Is the government on course to introduce a mandatory retirement age for members of the House of Lords? ([link removed])
Discover our Government tracker ([link removed])
* Latest data: ([link removed]) Did the Conservatives leave the UK with the ‘fastest growing economy in the G7’? ([link removed])
* MPs listed in viral image didn't 'vote' against deportation of foreign rapists ([link removed])
* Viral images of Princess Charlotte in hospital are not real ([link removed])
Read our latest fact checks ([link removed])
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All the best,
Team Full Fact
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