Evie Townend

2 weeks ago | fullfact.org | Evie Townend

What was claimed A BBC News video reports the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is trying to claim political asylum in a European country in order to escape an “aggravated relationship” with President Zelenskyy. Our verdict False. The BBC confirmed this is not a genuine report by the outlet, and we could find no credible reporting of these claims.

2 weeks ago | fullfact.org | Evie Townend

What was claimed A MailOnline article reports on a 300-year-old luxury hotel being used to house migrants in the UK. Our verdict This article is about migrants being housed in a hotel in Ireland, not the UK, although there are reports of luxury properties in the UK being used to house asylum seekers. A social media post sharing a screenshot of a MailOnline article about migrants being housed in a luxury hotel incorrectly suggests this is in the UK, when it was actually in Ireland.

2 weeks ago | fullfact.org | Evie Townend

What was claimed Shabana Mahmood is the head of the UK’s justice system. Our verdict This is not quite right. Ms Mahmood is the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Justice, which does not make her head of the judiciary for the UK. The head of the judiciary for England and Wales is a separate role held by someone else, and there are equivalent positions for Scotland and Northern Ireland. What was claimed Sir Hamid Patel is the head of the UK’s education system.

3 weeks ago | fullfact.org | Evie Townend

What was claimed Toby Carvery is giving away a voucher for a free meal and drinks for two people to everyone who comments ‘Thank You’ on a Facebook post. Our verdict A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers, the company that owns Toby Carvery, confirmed this is not a genuine offer associated with the chain. A Facebook post claiming to be giving away free vouchers for a meal at Toby Carvery is not a genuine deal associated with the restaurant chain.

3 weeks ago | fullfact.org | Evie Townend

What was claimed Keir Starmer did not mention Mother’s Day yesterday, but he did post about Eid marking the end of Ramadan for Muslims. Our verdict This is misleading. While Mr Starmer didn’t mention Mother’s Day on X, he did post about it on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. He posted about Eid on Facebook and X, but not on LinkedIn or Instagram.