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

Live Reporting

  1. Would Brexit add two years to austerity?

    Reality Check

    Quote: Brexit could add two years to austerity."

    The claim: The economic impact of leaving the European Union would lead to a loss of £20bn to £40bn from the public finances, extending austerity by a further two years, according to the IFS.

    Reality Check verdict: The relationship between Brexit and the public finances may not be exactly as described. But if - like them - you accept predictions that leaving the EU would cut economic growth, it is hard to imagine that would not hit the public finances. Such a scenario would require spending to be cut further, taxes to be increased or the period of austerity to be extended.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  2. Would Brexit make a holiday £230 dearer?

    Reality Check

    Downing Street press release quoted: Treasury analysis shows £230 rise for a four person holiday to the EU

    The claim: Leaving the EU would make an average holiday for four people to the EU £230 more expensive in two years. 

    Reality Check verdict: It would be reasonable to expect a weaker pound to make foreign holidays more expensive, but it is hard to predict a precise figure.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  3. Who works for EU and what do they earn?

    Reality Check

    Alistair, a PM listener asks how many people work for the EU, and what they earn.

    The question: Alistair asks BBC Radio 4's PM programme "How many people does the EU employ, and what is their average salary?"

    Reality Check verdict: 55,000 people are employed by the EU. Most of these people work for the European Commission. Salaries can range from €2,400 (£1,856) to €18,000 (£13,922) per month.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  4. Have any countries said they are in favour of Britain leaving the EU?

    Reality Check

    Dan asks: "Have any countries publicly stated they are in favour of Britain leaving the EU?

    The question: Dan asks BBC Radio 4's PM programme "Have any countries, trading blocs or other such entities publicly stated they are in favour of Britain leaving the EU?"

    Reality Check verdict: A handful of politicians have said their countries would do trade deals with the UK should it vote to leave the EU, but we can't find any that have called for the UK to leave.

    Read the full Reality Check here

  5. Would Brexit create a "DIY recession"?

    Reality Check

    George Osborne saying: Within two years the size of our economy - our GDP - would be at least 3% smaller as a result of leaving the EU - and it could be as much as 6% smaller.

    The claim: Leaving the European Union would create a year-long recession. 

    Reality Check verdict: The Treasury analysis gives two scenarios, described as "shock" and "severe shock". Both point to a recession in the short term, but in the case of the lesser "shock" scenario, while there would be an impact on the economy, the predicted recession would be very mild and well within the bounds of forecasting uncertainty.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  6. Are 5 countries about to join the EU?

    Reality Check

    Vote Leave saying: "Accession could occur in 2020, less than three and half years after the UK's referendum on EU membership

    The claim: Leave campaigners claim five countries -  Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey - will join the EU soon.

    Reality Check verdict: The five countries are not going to join the EU any time soon and their admission to the EU - once they fulfil all the criteria - will be subject to a veto by the UK and all the other 27 existing EU countries.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  7. Would Brexit push up prices?

    Reality Check

    David Cameron saying: "Prices would go up if we leave the EU."

    The claim: David Cameron said prices of everyday goods would rise if we left the EU.

    Reality Check verdict: There is a consensus that Brexit would lead to a weaker pound. This would have an impact on prices over time, although it is difficult to quantify the impact precisely at this point in time.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  8. Will EU migration put too much pressure on the NHS?

    Reality Check

    Michael Gove saying: The idea of asking the NHS to look after a new group of patients equivalent in size to four Birminghams is clearly unsustainable.

    The claim: Migration from the European Union will increase the UK's population by between 2.58 million and 5.23 million by 2030. This would create a 28% to 57% increase in demand for A&E services. 

    Reality Check verdict: Some migration from the EU is expected but the assumptions behind these population forecasts are very unlikely to be realised. An increasing population would put additional demand on A&E but the extent of that increase has not been demonstrated.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  9. How much of the rise in jobs is due to foreigners?

    Reality Check

    Iain Duncan Smith saying: More than three quarters of the rise in employment over the last year has come from people born abroad

    The claim: Iain Duncan Smith says that more than three quarters of the rise in employment in the last year has come from people born abroad. 

    Reality Check verdict: The latest figures support this. You could also look at the number of non-UK nationals (rather than everyone born abroad, which includes British citizens). They account for 56% of the rise.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  10. Reality Check: Your questions answered

    Kettle

    What would happen to workers' rights if Britain left the European Union? What does the EU have to say about British kettles? Just two of the questions Reality Check readers asked us to look into.  

    Get the answers in the full Reality Check Q&A here.

  11. Does the EU limit the number of bananas in a bunch?

    Reality Check

    Boris Johnson says: It is absurd we are told that you cannot sell bananas in bunches of more than two or three bananas

    The claim: Boris Johnson says the European Union will only allow bananas to be sold in bunches of two or three.

    Reality Check verdict: There is no such rule - we popped out and bought a bunch of five without difficulty. 

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  12. Would leaving the EU raise air fares?

    Reality Check

    Michael O'Leary saying: If Britain leaves the single market, Britain may be forced out of the Open Skies regime and air fares and the cost of holidays will rise.

    The claim: Leaving the European Union would lead to an increase in air fares. 

    Reality Check verdict: The UK leaving the EU could lead to an increase in fares. The impact could be reduced or even avoided depending on what agreements the UK reached with the EU and other countries.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  13. Does the EU subsidise Spanish bullfighting?

    Reality Check

    Quote from Boris Johnson: £110m a year of CAP money goes on Spanish bullfighting.

    The claim: £110m a year of EU agricultural subsidies go to fund Spanish bullfighting. 

    Reality check verdict: The EU does not give any agricultural money specifically for bullfighting, but that doesn't mean that no EU money reaches the industry. There are no official estimates for how much. 

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  14. Would small cut to growth wipe out Brexit ‘gains’?

    Reality Check

    Any output losses in excess of 1% of GDP would... more than offset any gains from eliminating the UK's net EU budget contribution.

    The claim: The saving of EU budget contributions would be dwarfed by the losses to the exchequer if leaving the EU reduced economic growth. 

    Reality Check verdict: The UK's contribution to the EU budget would indeed be dwarfed by relatively small effects on economic growth.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  15. Does the EU guarantee women's rights?

    Reality Check

    Harriet Harman saying: We fought hard for those rights, in Brussels and in Westminster. And that is a fact. If we leave the EU, the guarantees of those rights will be gone.

    The claim: Membership of the European Union guarantees rights on equal pay, sexual harassment and maternity leave, and rights for part-time workers. Those rights would be in jeopardy if Britain voted to leave. 

    Reality Check verdict: The EU has been influential in the development of equality legislation but leaving would not necessarily mean those rights would be lost.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  16. Has the EU had its accounts signed off?

    Reality Check

    Philip Davies saying: ...they [the EU] haven't had their accounts signed off for 20 years

    Claim: The European Union is so corrupt that the European Court of Auditors has not signed off its accounts for 20 years. 

    Reality Check verdict: The Court of Auditors has signed the EU accounts every year since 2007, while pointing out that EU countries, once they receive the EU funds, misuse about 4.4% of the total budget.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  17. Will the UK be the largest economy in Europe by 2050?

    Reality Check

    Gordon Brown saying: Britain will be the largest economy in Europe by 2050.

    The claim: Britain will have the biggest economy in Europe by 2050. 

    Reality Check verdict: Predicting anything for 2050 is very hard to do. Some forecasters think the UK will have the biggest economy by then - others don't.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  18. Who has access to the single market?

    Reality Check

    Boris Johnson quoted as saying: We should get out of the empire of EU lawmaking and what we should have instead is access to the single market

    The claim: The UK would continue to have access to the single market after leaving the European Union. 

    Reality Check verdict: The UK could continue to trade with the single market following an EU exit, but we do not know on what terms that trade would take place because that would be subject to years of negotiations.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  19. Would staying in the EU reduce wages?

    Reality Check

    Iain Duncan Smith saying: The downward pressure on wages is a trend that will only get worse if we continue to have open borders with the EU.

    The claim: The downward pressure on wages is a trend that will only get worse if we continue to have open borders with the EU. 

    Reality Check verdict: Migration does appear to have put pressure on wages, but there is some evidence that leaving the EU would reduce them even more.

    Read the full Reality Check here.

  20. How does migration affect housing?

    Reality Check

    Houses and quote about building more

    The claim: Migration to the UK puts a heavy burden on housing stock - we would need to build 240 houses a day for 20 years to cope.

    Reality Check verdict: The sums add up. Note that the figures include migration from outside the EU and are a projection based on the past.

    Read the full Reality Check here.