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Dear Friend,
In the newsletter this week...
* Does this picture show Angela Rayner gifting a portrait of herself to a Vietnamese politician?
* Interest rates were not at 11% under the last Conservative government
* MPs are being given a pay rise of 2.8%, not 28%
* Government tracker
* Jobs
But first...
On Wednesday 26 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Statement in the House of Commons.
We’ve taken a look at a number of claims from her statement, and the Conservative response. Here are some of the first claims we’ve looked at, but we’ll be adding to this round-up shortly.
Find out more... ([link removed])
Our analysis includes a series of familiar claims from earlier in the political cycle, including Labour’s promise not to raise National Insurance (NI) on “working people”, and the government’s claim that they inherited a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.
Keep checking forupdates ([link removed]) over the next few hours as we add to our analysis of today’s events.
Best wishes,
Craig, Digital Campaigns Manager—Full Fact
** Does this picture show Angela Rayner gifting a portrait of herself to a Vietnamese politician? ([link removed])
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We sometimes fact check a claim only to find it is missing an important piece of information. You might say we aren’t seeing the full picture.
This week a picture from an official government website has been circulating with users claiming it’s showing something it isn’t. At first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking Angela Rayner, the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, has gifted a portrait of herself to a visiting Vietnamese politician.
The implication, and one that some commenters on social media have made, is that this is a politician indulging in a bit of self-promotion. This isn’t actually the case however, Ms Rayner was actually given the painting as a gift during Nguyễn Hoà Bình’s visit to the UK on 18 March.
Our golden rule here at Full Fact is that if you see an image that is making a big claim use a reverse image search on Google ([link removed]) to try and find out where it has come from. This will help you decide if you are seeing the ‘full picture’.
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** Interest rates were not at 11% under the last Conservative government ([link removed])
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During Prime Minister’s Questions last week, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, when discussing the record of the previous Conservative government: “What did the Conservatives leave? Interest rates were at 11%.” And Seema Malhotra MP, the minister for migration and citizenship, made the same claim on Monday, in a now-deleted X post.
This claim is incorrect. The Bank of England’s Bank Rate (also known as the base rate), which influences the interest rates offered by other UK banks, has not been 11% since 1991.
Read more ([link removed])
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** MPs are being given a pay rise of 2.8%, not 28% ([link removed])
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A post on X (formerly Twitter) shared the claim, as did a post on Facebook, which said: “Just heard on the telly that mps are giving themselves a 28% pay rise, this shows the arrogance of these people laughing in our face like pigs at the trough its unbelievable. [sic]”
But these posts are inaccurate—MPs will actually receive an increase of 2.8%, not 28%, in their basic salary from April.
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.
Thursday 20th March
* Is the government on course to introduce a network of ‘Young Futures hubs’? ([link removed])
Discover our Government tracker ([link removed])
** Jobs ([link removed])
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Bad information ruins lives. We’re a team of independent fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter the harm it does.
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Salary: £41,400 - £55,000
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Application Closing Date: 10am on Monday 07 April 2025
We’re recruiting for a Web Developer with a strong focus on developing Django, to shape our technological infrastructure and ensure our digital presence is robust, accessible, and effective.
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* The Irish government isn’t telling girls to stay indoors after 6pm ([link removed])
* Fake image of Mark Carney on beach with Ghislaine Maxwell recirculates ([link removed])
* US states cannot actually enforce a ban on atheists holding public office ([link removed])
Read our latest fact checks ([link removed])
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All the best,
Team Full Fact
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