Facts
On BBC Question Time, MP Andrea Leadsom claimed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “provided that £450 billion of funding that kept people in work, kept businesses afloat.”
When questioned by Full Fact, Leadsom’s office claimed she meant to refer to a 2021 International Monetary Fund estimate that the total cost to the UK government in direct spending and in taxes and duties foregone during the COVID pandemic was £407 billion
The 2021 IMF report was an estimate however a 2023 report published by the Treasury says that the Government has spent £358 billion on Covid measures so far.
As Full Fact points out, “actual government support for businesses and employees during the pandemic is estimated to be about £140 billion.”
Verdict
Leadsom misled BBC viewers.
We emailed Andrea Leadsom’s office and the DHSC offering them the chance to respond. We received no response.