No, a BBC article didn’t claim that Angela Rayner is replacing Rachel Reeves as chancellor

A screenshot being shared on social media appears to show a BBC news article reporting that Angela Rayner is “poised to replace” Rachel Reeves as chancellor—but it isn’t real. 

The fake article has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook. Many users appear to believe it is real, with one commenting “God help us all. So glad I didn't vote for the eejits” and another saying “God forbid DISASTER”.

But a BBC spokesperson told Full Fact “this isn’t BBC journalism”. A spokesperson for Ms Reeves also told Reuters the article was fake.

There are several major clues that the article isn’t real, such as the headline being in the wrong font. BBC News headlines also do not have a full stop at the end. 

The subheading “My year at Stockport College wasn’t wasted, I’m ready to manage the money” and the caption “Angela Rayner: I want the whole of England to have more spends” are also more obviously a joke. 

A Google search shows no such article headlined “Angela Rayner poised to replace Rachel Reeves as Chancellor” currently exists on the BBC’s website. Nor does it reveal any credible reports that Ms Rayner is set to replace Ms Reeves.

We have previously debunked other faked BBC articles, including one that claimed that Ms Reeves was offering UK residents the chance to take part in an online investment scheme and that Martin Lewis endorsed a cryptocurrency platform during a BBC interview.

Although some claims seem really obviously false, we still fact check them because it may not be clear to everyone that it is untrue, particularly more casual internet users. We’ve written about this in more detail on our blog.

It’s always worth checking if social media pictures show what the posts say they do before you share them. For more advice, read our toolkit.