Fact-checker criticises Dominic Raab for repeating discredited Labour immigration claims

Echoes of '£350m a week'.

The fact-checking agency Full Fact has issued a statement criticising former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab for repeating inaccurate claims about Labour.

Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that Labour want “open-door immigration not just from Europe but from the rest of the world” and that Labour would double the level of immigration.

In response to these claims, Full Fact said:

“As we fact checked this week, this claim is not credible. Labour hasn’t published its manifesto yet and details are currently expected to be released in a few days.”

“Jeremy Corbyn has signalled in recent interviews with the BBC, including later on in today’s Andrew Marr show, that the party’s priority is to secure free movement for people who have family with settled status in the UK.”

“In addition, there’s no evidence that the figures the Conservatives have put on Labour’s hypothetical policy are realistic.”

The claim has also been made by Priti Patel, repeatedly tweeted by the Conservative Party and reported uncritically in the Daily Telegraph and Daily Express.

Full Fact has also criticised the Tory claims about the cost of Labour’s spending plans. It said the Tory claims were “based on flawed assumptions”.

At the time of publication, Dominic Raab had not responded to a request for comment.

Update: This article originally stated that Raab’s claims had not been challenged by Andrew Marr. This was incorrect. Later in the interview, Marr told Raab that he was mispresenting Labour’s position.

6 Responses to “Fact-checker criticises Dominic Raab for repeating discredited Labour immigration claims”

  1. Patrick Newman

    Failure to challenge Tory ministers on highly contentious claims is in the DNA of the BBC. Take one example – Tories will spend £39bn on the NHS – that is not real terms spending – the only thing that matters – it is in cash terms and can only be an estimate. It is far from clear that the NHS is receiving the £20.5bn (real terms allegedly) promised by May last year. The Tories are institutionally dishonest!

  2. Joe

    Uncontrolled immigration has kept British worker’s pay growth lower than it would otherwise have been.

    Low wage immigrants have also taken British worker’s jobs.

  3. Tom Sacold

    The capitalist bosses love uncontrolled immigration. They can import cheap labour and undercut British workers knowing that the weak pro-EU Blairites will do bugger-all for the ordinary British working-class.

    We need a strong socialist government to put the interests of the British worker front and centre and stand-up for their jobs and standard of living.

  4. Patrick Newman

    Thee last thing these two emissaries of EDL/UKIP/BNP is a socialist government. These two spout the views that the guy who murdered Jo Cox held!

  5. Patrick Newman

    Dominic Raab is a reincarnated Alan B’Stard.

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