A quirk of the UK system is that the requirement to tell the truth in adverts does not apply to politicians. This is, in effect, a license to lie – or, at least, to stretch the truth until the elastic snaps. The Conservatives have given some examples in their first campaign video an indication. It shows the Union Flag flying upside down, often taken as a sign of distress. The gist is that Rishi Sunak ‘is making progress’ with his plan, but when it lists that progress it says much that is – how to say? – at variance with the actualité. All can be checked on The Spectator’s data hub, designed so anyone with a suspicion that they’re not being told the truth can easily check.
‘Taxes are being cut’, it says. Well, some taxes are (National Insurance) but other taxes are rising – what matters is the overall effect. The tax burden is rising to the highest level since the late 1940s.
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