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In the newsletter this week...

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.

Express says the UK spends 2.5% of its GDP on defence

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.

More on this topic:

UK defence spending: explained

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Patients are facing long waits in England’s A&Es this winter

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.

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Online ‘Porsches for Albania’ claim isn’t quite right

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.

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Government tracker

Full Fact’s most recent updates to our tracker of government policy.

Monday 17th February

Has the government scrapped the Rwanda migrant agreement?

Has the government kept its pledge not to increase income tax rates?

Is the government on course to introduce a mandatory retirement age for members of the House of Lords?

Discover our Government tracker

Also this week...

Read our latest fact checks

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All the best,
Team Full Fact

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