Summary

  • BBC Reality Check gets to the facts behind the claims in the EU referendum campaign and beyond

  • The referendum took place on 23 June 2016 - the UK voted to leave the EU

  • On this page you will find all the checks the team has done so far

  1. Yik Yak EU referendum Q&A with the BBCpublished at 14:07 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Yik Yak app on a mobile phone.Image source, Getty Images

    The impact on jobs, the possibility of David Cameron singing and how studying abroad might be affected. Reality Check goes on Yik Yak to answer the EU referendum questions you were too afraid to ask. 

    Find the answers to your questions here.

  2. Your questions on cost of EU membershippublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Euros on an EU flag backgroundImage source, Thinkstock

    How much do we pay? Who pays more? What does an EU ambassador earn? Lots of you have got in touch with Reality Check with questions about the costs associated with EU membership. 

    We've answered some of your questions here.

  3. Your questions answered about immigrationpublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Net migration chart

    What are the numbers? What's the impact on public services? What happens at the French border? Lots of you have asked about the relationship between Britain's membership of the EU and current levels of migration.

    We've answered some of your questions here.

  4. Fact-checking Question Time specialpublished at 18:40 British Summer Time 15 June 2016

    Question Time studio

    On BBC1 at 6:45pm on Wednesday there will be a Question Time special featuring Michael Gove.

    The Reality Check team will be fact-checking it live.

    You can find our conclusions here.

  5. Would there have to be emergency Brexit tax rises?published at 18:18 British Summer Time 15 June 2016

    Reality Check

    George Osborne saying there would have to be an emergency budget.

    The claim: If there was a vote to leave the EU there would have to be an emergency budget.

    Reality Check verdict: There is no legal requirement to have an emergency budget but the Chancellor could have one if he wanted to make immediate changes to tax rates or spending cuts.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  6. Did 750,000 people gain the right to come to the UK last year?published at 19:31 British Summer Time 14 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Matthew Elliott saying "The number of people coming to the EU is increasing each year"

    The claim: 750,000 people gained citizenship in other EU countries last year, giving them the right to come to the UK. This figure has been increasing every year. 

    Reality Check verdict: 750,000 is actually a slight understatement. 763,500 people were made citizens of other EU countries and have an automatic right to come to the UK because of EU freedom of movement rules. The figure has not been increasing every year.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  7. Will there be migration of 275,000 a year until 2035?published at 16:11 British Summer Time 14 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Chart showing migration watch forecasts

    The claim: Net migration to the UK will be an average of 275,000 a year until 2035. 

    Reality Check verdict: All such forecasts involve huge uncertainties. Migration Watch's predictions are higher than the Office for National Statistics ones, but not as high as a forecast from Vote Leave.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  8. What would happen to funding from EU post-Brexit?published at 16:11 British Summer Time 14 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Quote from Vote Leave letter: ‘There is more than enough money to ensure that those who now get funding from the EU... will continue to do so while also ensuring that we save money that can be spent on our priorities.

    The claim: People receiving funding from the European Union would continue to get it until 2020 if there was a vote to leave the EU, and more money could be spent on the NHS and tax cuts. 

    Reality Check verdict: There would be the money to fund these spending promises as long as economic growth was not reduced - which most economists believe it would be - and the UK outside the EU did not continue making contributions to the EU budget. The people making these promises would not necessarily be in power following a Brexit. 

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  9. Which EU countries contribute most to UK population?published at 15:43 British Summer Time 14 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Graphic of the number of nationals from other EU countries living in the UK.

    The claim: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says 500,000 Irish people live in the UK.

    Reality Check verdict: 331,000 Irish people live in Britain, according to the most recent ONS statistics.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  10. Your questions answered about living abroadpublished at 15:29 British Summer Time 14 June 2016

    Reality Check

    EHIC, British passport and eurosImage source, Thinkstock

    Lots of you have got in touch with the BBC about what a possible exit from the EU might mean for travel and living abroad. We've answered some of your questions below. 

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  11. Your questions on consumer affairspublished at 21:33 British Summer Time 13 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Menthol cigarettes

    Reality Check has been answering your questions throughout the referendum campaign - here are some of the issues that listeners to Radio 4's PM programme raised.  

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  12. Can EU citizens bring family from outside the EU?published at 20:58 British Summer Time 13 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Jerry asking: "How should I vote to ensure my Thai wife and daugher will be allowed to continue living in the UK?"

    The question: Jerry emailed the BBC to ask: "How should I vote to ensure my Thai wife and daughter will be allowed to continue living in the UK with me as a family?"

    Reality Check verdict: We can't advise you how to vote, but we can shine some light on immigration rules in this area. EU citizens can bring their families from outside the EU. It is easier for them to do so than for UK citizens. A rule change introduced by the UK government in 2012 created this discrepancy.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  13. Would Brexit mean cuts to pensions, defence and the NHS?published at 16:51 British Summer Time 12 June 2016

    Reality Check

    David Cameron saying: We will be less well off and that obviously affects what we can spend on our public services.

    The claim: The UK leaving the European Union would mean cuts to pensions, defence and the NHS. 

    Reality Check verdict: What, if anything, gets cut if there is a Brexit will be a matter for the government to decide.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  14. How is the referendum affecting the pound?published at 15:10 British Summer Time 12 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Nigel Farage saying: Sterling is up since March. Since Brexit became a possibility, sterling is up and FTSE is exactly the same level it was in March.

    The claim: The pound and the FTSE 100 are at the same levels as they were in March.

    Reality Check verdict: Nigel Farage is right about the levels compared with March, but looking a few months further back and considering options markets may give a more useful view of concerns on the currency markets about the risks of a Brexit.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  15. How did EU population of UK grow after 2004?published at 19:41 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Graphic of EU citizens resident in UK in 2014

    Two of the three million EU nationals living in the UK have arrived in the decade after 2004, the year that the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  16. Can MEPs block David Cameron’s EU deal?published at 19:27 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Diane Dodds saying: "This Parliament can unravel the deal, as can the ECJ."

    The claim: The European Parliament could block the implementation of the UK deal for the European Union which Prime Minister David Cameron agreed in February 2016. 

    Reality Check verdict: MEPs will not get a say on the deal as a whole. They could, in theory, delay or even block the amendments to two regulations which are required to implement part of the deal, but this is unlikely to happen.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  17. Would Brexit mean £18bn of welfare cuts and tax rises?published at 17:15 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Yvette Cooper saying: That would mean around £9.3bn in tax rises, £9.3bn in social security cuts, £9.3bn in departmental spending.

    The claim: The UK leaving the European Union would mean families being hit by £18bn in welfare cuts and tax rises.

    Reality Check verdict: This figure is derived from a worst case scenario in an economic model. There are many assumptions that must be accepted to reach it. If you believe that leaving the EU would cut economic growth then it is likely that would mean austerity having to be deeper or longer if the deficit is to be eradicated, although it is impossible to say for sure by how much or how long.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  18. Is Labour overwhelmingly supporting EU?published at 14:56 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Jeremy Corbyn saying: "The Labour Party's overwhelmingly for staying in."

    The claim: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says that the Labour Party is overwhelmingly in favour of staying in the EU.

    Reality Check verdict: The polling evidence continues to suggest that Labour voters back Remain over Leave in a ratio of two to one. But the polls could be mistaken.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  19. How would the UK rid itself of EU law?published at 14:50 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Complicated knotsImage source, Thinkstock

    The BBC's Clive Coleman looks at how the UK might untangle itself from EU law in the event of a Brexit.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  20. How would a Brexit affect Gibraltar?published at 12:41 British Summer Time 10 June 2016

    Reality Check

    Colin asking: "If the UK were to leave the EU, how might Gibraltar be affected?"

    The question: Colin asks BBC Radio 4's PM programme "If the UK were to leave the EU, how would Gibraltar be affected?"

    Reality Check verdict: If the UK leaves the EU, so does Gibraltar. Gibraltar cannot reapply to join the EU on its own without being recognised as a sovereign state.

    Read the full Reality Check here.