One day to go: your election questions answered

Dear Supporter,

It’s been a challenging six weeks. Amid dishonest claims and misleading tactics from different parties, many of us are left with more questions than answers.

Last week our fact checking team invited you to ask us about anything that had you scratching your heads during the campaign.

Hundreds of you sent in your questions, which covered the economy, Brexit, health, and polling day itself.

We’ve not been able to answer them all. But what we have done is cover the topics most of you wrote in to ask about. You can read a selection of our answers below.

As we prepare to head to the polls tomorrow, we’ve also included round-ups of our fact checks on every party this election—as well as a ‘fact check minis’ video which clears up six of the biggest claims from the two major parties.

We’ve all been at risk from bad information this election. But there’s still time to make a difference.

You can help protect a friend's vote from false information:

1. Share this email
2. Share our ‘fact or fiction’ quiz
3. Share our election hub page

If every Full Fact reader shares our work with just one friend or family member, that means tens of thousands more voters having access to the clear and impartial information they need—so that whichever choice they make tomorrow, it will be a well-informed one.

There’s just a few hours left. Let’s make them count.

Will

You asked: Is the NHS already privatised? Is it going to be?

The NHS has always used private providers, but their role was formalised and expanded through the 2000s. Experts estimate between 7% and 22% of the healthcare budget goes to private providers. The higher estimates include things like GPs and pharmacies, which are technically private providers but might not be thought of that way.

It’s been claimed that more NHS services could be outsourced to private companies, particularly after a possible UK-US trade deal. But trade deals don't usually seek to redesign public services and US companies already have the right to bid for private NHS contracts in England.

There's also a suggestion that a US trade deal might hinder the ability of any future government to reduce the levels of private provision within the NHS. What's more likely is that the NHS pays more to buy drugs from US companies. However, increased drug prices aren't a sure thing.

You asked: Is the Political Declaration legally binding if the Withdrawal Treaty is passed?

Article 184 of the Withdrawal Agreement does not make the Political Declaration legally binding; it says the UK and the EU “shall use their best endeavours, in good faith and in full respect of their respective legal orders” to negotiate “expeditiously” the agreements referred to in the Political Declaration. This does not translate to a legal and enforceable commitment, according to the House of Commons Library and the Institute for Government.

As we’ve said before, the Political Declaration—which aims for a Free Trade Agreement with the EU—will act as a blueprint for future negotiations.

You asked: Is the NHS already privatised? Is it going to be?

You asked: Is the Political Declaration legally binding if the Withdrawal Treaty is passed?

You asked: Which are the most populated and least populated seats being contested in the general election?

Six claims which may have misled you this election

Party Roundups: biggest claims from this election