‘PM announcement’ of two flight limit is fake

Videos shared on social media are claiming the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a “green travel quota” that limits UK citizens to two flights per year from October 2025.

But no such policy has been announced. The videos include inauthentic audio with a montage of old clips of the PM.

No such ‘green travel quota’

Full Fact found clips shared on Facebook and TikTok with audio that sounds like Mr Starmer speaking about a new flight limit.

Overlaid text on the Facebook clip says: “UK sets green travel quota to cut carbon emissions[.] Two flights - that's all you'll get. The UK's new green travel quota is here to reshape the future of flying.” Text on the TikTok video says: “Breaking: UK citizens limited to two flights[.] Breaking: green travel policy UK 2025”.

The voiceovers, which have slightly different wording, say that airlines will be expected to share travel records with the government, that there will be a fine of £1,000 per flight if the limit is exceeded and that the policy’s aim is to reduce emissions.

However, we could find no evidence of any such quota being announced, and a spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero told us the claims made in the video are not true.

We could find no credible reports about such a policy by media organisations, or airlines and aviation industry bodies. Moreover, there’s no mention of plans to limit the number of flights people take in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, the Chancellor’s Spring Statement or last year’s Autumn Budget.

The videos are not authentic

There are clear signs that the audio clips are not genuine, as well as it being unlikely that the prime minister would critique his own policy while announcing it, with phrases like: “what other parts of daily life might soon be regulated?”

The cadence of the audio clips is extremely even and the intonation sounds unnatural, which suggests they may be AI-generated. Although we can’t rule out that it has been faked another way, for example by using an impersonator. You can read more about how to spot AI audio, and the challenges of doing this, in our guide.

The videos also feature old footage of Mr Starmer. The Facebook video begins with a clip of the PM standing at a podium in front of two Union Jack flags that actually shows him in March 2025 speaking about a “coalition of the willing” as part of the European plan to support Ukraine.

Footage used at the beginning of the TikTok clip is also unrelated to a green travel policy. It shows Mr Starmer at a Liaison Committee meeting in December 2024.

We’ve contacted the Cabinet Office for comment, and will update this article if we receive a response.

This is not the first time we’ve seen videos sharing misinformation about new policies or rules, for example claims that UK residents leaving the country more than three times a year would be flagged for additional income and tax checks and that the government must be notified about cash withdrawals over a certain amount.

It’s important to consider whether information you see on social media comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source before sharing it. Our toolkit provides some advice about how to do this.