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7 September 2023

Minister overstates increase in prison officer numbers

Michelle Donelan MP wrongly claimed the number of frontline prison officers has “increased by 20%” in the last year.

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Minister overstates increase in prison officer numbers
6 September 2023

White lines coming from planes aren’t evidence of ‘chemtrails’

The contrails and wingtip vortices that can sometimes be seen emerging from planes are not ‘chemtrails’.

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White lines coming from planes aren’t evidence of ‘chemtrails’
6 September 2023

Daily Star corrects error in reporting obesity deaths

The paper has corrected its claim that 2.8 billion people die of obesity each year, with the real figure being in millions.

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Daily Star corrects error in reporting obesity deaths
6 September 2023

Starmer’s education speech warned of school buildings starting to ‘crumble’

The Prime Minister suggested that Keir Starmer didn’t mention RAAC in a recent speech on education.

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Starmer’s education speech warned of school buildings starting to ‘crumble’
6 September 2023

‘Legacy’ wording on UKHSA job advert not proof of a planned pandemic

Social media posts suggest a UKHSA job advert shows that a new pandemic is being planned. But the UKHSA says the wording from the advert is a “legacy” from before …

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‘Legacy’ wording on UKHSA job advert not proof of a planned pandemic
6 September 2023

Hoax posts about ‘missing’ man called Gerald spread across UK

The fake alerts have been shared more than 1,600 times.

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Hoax posts about ‘missing’ man called Gerald spread across UK
5 September 2023

It is illegal for businesses to refuse cash in France

Thousands of people have shared a post about an apparent protest against a cashless supermarket in France.

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It is illegal for businesses to refuse cash in France
5 September 2023

Wes Streeting column claiming 5,000 drop in GPs over last decade amended

Mr Streeting wrote that there were almost 5,000 fewer fully qualified GPs than a decade ago, but NHS England says the data pre-September 2015 is not comparable to current figures.

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Wes Streeting column claiming 5,000 drop in GPs over last decade amended
4 September 2023

There are no official reports of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man festival

The desert festival has been mired by wet weather but there are no credible reports of an Ebola outbreak.

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There are no official reports of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man festival
4 September 2023

Bargain online offers at Wilko are fake

The real Wilko website no longer allows online purchases.

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Bargain online offers at Wilko are fake
4 September 2023

Pasteurisation does not cause lactose intolerance

A video on social media claims pasteurised milk is a cause of lactose intolerance. This isn’t true, and raw unpasteurised milk can make you unwell.

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Pasteurisation does not cause lactose intolerance
1 September 2023

What do the figures on persistent absence from school show?

We’ve looked into the data after a series of claims regarding pupil absence rates in England were made on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

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What do the figures on persistent absence from school show?

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