24 Mar 2023 | Full Fact's weekly news

FACT CHECK
Labour MP wrong to say ‘there are no safe routes’ to enter UK

During the second reading of the Illegal Migration Bill, Labour MP Khalid Mahmood claimed there are “no safe routes” for refugees into the UK, adding that schemes from Afghanistan and Hong Kong had been closed.

This is not accurate. The government has a number of resettlement schemes for people seeking protection in the UK, including the UK Resettlement Scheme, the family reunion route and nation-specific routes for people from countries like Ukraine.

While the number of people so far granted leave to remain through some resettlement routes for Afghan refugees has been very low, they remain open, as does the resettlement route for some Hong Kong residents.

Outside of these nation-specific routes, there are also other refugee resettlement schemes in operation.

But it is worth noting that only a relatively small number of people have access to these routes as they are reliant on meeting specific eligibility criteria.

MPs should correct false or misleading claims as soon as possible.

Currently, there is no way for an MP who is not a government Minister to correct the official record in the House of Commons. That’s why we are still campaigning for a new system for MPs to use to correct the official record when they make a mistake.

How many people have accessed these routes?

At Full Fact we check claims from politicians of all parties and call on them to correct their mistakes when they get things wrong.

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PUBLICATION

Full Fact Report 2023

Last year, as many as 50 MPs, including two prime ministers, cabinet and shadow cabinet ministers, failed to correct false, unevidenced or misleading claims, despite repeated calls from Full Fact to do so. This is damaging public trust and ultimately undermining our democracy.

This is what our CEO, Will Moy, told BBC News yesterday after we launched Full Fact’s 2023 report. Our report made headlines just hours after a former Prime Minister was questioned in an inquiry about whether he intentionally misled Parliament.

One inquiry alone won’t lead to honest politics. The 2023 Full Fact Report sets out 12 ways politicians, the media, and others can improve standards in public life and make sure our votes are based on good, reliable information ahead of the next election.

We want political parties to end the use of bullshit manifestos— which are often filled with misleading claims and ill-defined promises— before the next general election, and we want to see a new law to prevent deceptive campaign practices.

We’ve seen tactics like this at every election we’ve fact checked since 2010. With your support, we can fight for the honest campaigning we deserve.

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FACT CHECK

The Lib Dems are not the only party to be committed to restoring the overseas aid target

During his speech at the Liberal Democrats’ Spring Conference on Sunday, party leader Sir Ed Davey claimed the Liberal Democrats are “the only party” committed to restoring the target of spending 0.7% of the UK’s Gross National Income (GNI) on overseas aid.

When we contacted the Liberal Democrats about Mr Davey’s comments, a spokesperson told us it was the only party committed to immediately reinstating the target. This is not true.

The SNP and Plaid Cymru also say they are committed to an immediate return to the target, while the Green Party told Full Fact it would immediately increase the target to above 0.7%.

Mr Davey criticised the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to reduce aid spending to 0.5% of GNI while he was serving as Chancellor in 2021, and said: “We will restore it. We are the only party committed to restoring it.”

But both the Conservatives and Labour have said they are committed to restoring the 0.7% target—although neither have given a definite time frame, and say it would depend on the fiscal situation.

False or misleading claims about political parties have the potential to affect people’s opinions of individuals and parties, and how people vote. It is important that if politicians do make misleading claims, they quickly correct them.

Different party positions on overseas aid

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