Conservative party criticised after disguising Twitter as ‘Fact Check UK’ during ITV debate

Fact-checking organisation Full Fact has criticised the Conservatives for changing their Twitter handle to factcheckUK for the ITV debate. Photo: Twitter - Credit: Archant

The Tories have faced criticism after rebranding their Twitter as a fact-checking organistation during the ITV leaders’ debate.

The Conservative Campaign Headquarters press office account was renamed factcheckUK during Tuesday evenings ITV debate. Photograph: Twitter/PA. – Credit: PA

One of the UK’s most respected fact-checking organisation Full Fact has criticised the Conservatives for changing their Twitter handle to “factcheckUK” for the ITV debate.

The Conservative Party’s press account also rebranded itself with a new logo and header in an attempt to fool others on the social media platform.

Full Fact tweeted: “It is inappropriate and misleading for the Conservative press office to rename their twitter account ‘factcheckUK’ during this debate.

“Please do not mistake it for an independent fact checking service such as @FullFact, @FactCheck or @FactCheckNI.”

In one tweet by the Conservative Press account, pretending to be a fact-checking service, they wrote: “Jeremy Corbyn won’t be honest with the British people about his Brexit policy. If he wins we will have months of dither and delay”.

READ MORE: Audience laughs after PM claims truth is important to him in ITV debateThe tweet, which is not even an attempt at any fact-checking of Jeremy Corbyn or his claims, was widely condemned.

One reply to it said: “This should be investigated by the Electoral Commission. Absolutely outrageous.”

Another reply read: “The Conservative Party pretending to be ‘factcheckUK’ spotlights exactly why so few people have trust in you.”

At the end of the debate the account declared that Boris Johnson was the winner.

It then reverted the account reverted back to its original name and branding.

Liberal Democrat shadow Brexit secretary Tom Brake said the move was straight out of the Trump playbook.

He said: “This is straight out of Donald Trump or Putin’s playbook. Not content with excluding the voice of Remain from this debate, the Tories are now resorting to deliberately misleading the public.

“People know they can’t trust a word that Boris Johnson or the Conservatives say. The country deserves better. Only the Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit on day one and build a brighter future.”