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Dear Friend,

In the newsletter this week

But first...

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has delivered the second Budget of this Labour government.

We’ve been checking claims made by Ms Reeves and others during the debate that followed.

Read our Budget fact checks →

At a glance, what did the Chancellor claim today?

The Conservatives left a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances. This isn’t a new claim and it’s one we’ve written about in detail before.
The government will retain the current rate of corporation tax. This was a manifesto pledge and one we’re rating as ‘on track’ in our Government Tracker.
The government has delivered 5.2 million extra NHS appointments since the election. While this is true, it requires a healthy dose of context.
Waiting lists are down by 230,000 under this government. This reflects the latest NHS elective treatment waiting list figures.
The government intends to “phase out” the use of asylum hotels “entirely”. We’re rating the pledge to do this by the end of this parliament as “appears off track” in our Government Tracker.
The UK is set to “set to spend 2.6% of GDP on defence by April 2027”. We’re monitoring progress towards this via our Government Tracker.
Ms Reeves announced the two-child benefit cap will be scrapped. Here’s our analysis of who is impacted by this limit.

We will continue our fact checking and analysis over the next few days, but if you spot something you would like us to look into, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Craig
Audience Engagement Manager,
Full Fact

More fact checks from this week ↓

No, the Christmas Bonus paid to some on benefits isn’t rising to £200

By: Sian Bayley

Videos being shared on social media are wrongly claiming the Christmas Bonus for people on certain benefits is jumping from £10 to £200 this year.

No such increase is happening, but some might receive other winter payments through separate schemes.

Read the fact check →

Do new migration figures show an ‘exodus’ of Brits under Labour?

By: Hannah Smith

Claims of a mass ‘exodus’ of British nationals after Labour took office have been made by senior Conservative figures in recent weeks.

But the revised numbers paint a more complicated picture.

Read the fact check →

False, Keir Starmer did not say Hamas could apply for an embassy in London

By: Sian Bayley

A claim doing the rounds online says Keir Starmer suggested Hamas could apply for an embassy in London after the UK recognised Palestinian statehood.

He didn’t say this.

Read the fact check →