Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivered a speech in Berkshire following the publication of the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip). This round-up of fact checks has been compiled by Full Fact, the UK’s independent fact-checking charity.
Government Not Spending 'Extra £270 Billion' on Defence
Ahead of the defence investment plan publication, several media reports quoted a government spokesperson claiming an “extra £270 billion” on defence over this Parliament. Full Fact could not confirm the quote's origin; inquiries to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Number 10 went unanswered. The claim is incorrect.
As explained earlier this year after Prime Minister Starmer made a similar statement, £270 billion was roughly the MoD’s total projected spend for 2025/26 to 2028/29, as set out in the 2025 spending review. It does not represent combined extra spending. Defence minister Luke Pollard confirmed in February that £270 billion “is the total of the Ministry of Defence’s budget from financial year 2025/26 to 2028/29.” Adding the MoD’s planned spends gives £272.2 billion.
Since the claim resurfaced, the government published the defence investment plan on Tuesday, with Sir Keir announcing an additional £15 billion increase over four years (up to 2029/30). Much of this £15 billion is due between 2026/27 and 2028/29, meaning total spending from 2025/26 to 2028/29 is now higher than the original £270 billion figure.
Fake Video of Naval Officer Discussing Migrant Crossings
A video circulating on social media shows a man in a white dress uniform speaking into a microphone in front of a ship flying the Union flag. He says: “Illegal immigration across the English Channel is a direct violation of British sovereign waters. Our primary military duty is to defend the realm, but these undocumented crossings are challenging that control every single day.”
The clip has garnered hundreds of comments and thousands of reactions on Facebook, with many accounts taking it at face value. However, it is not real footage—it was created using artificial intelligence. Full Fact found the video contains SynthID, an invisible watermark added to content made with Google or OpenAI’s tools. Visual clues such as background objects glitching and morphing also indicate AI generation.
Before engaging with such content, it is important to consider its source and verify its trustworthiness. Full Fact’s misinformation toolkit offers tips on how to do this, along with a guide to spotting AI fakes.
