Keir Starmer didn’t say the UK ‘may need to go into lockdown’ if meningitis cases keep rising
What was claimed
Keir Starmer said the UK may need to go into lockdown as early as May if meningitis cases continue to escalate.
Our verdict
False. Number 10 confirmed Mr Starmer did not make these comments, which appear to have originated from a satirical Facebook page.
Amid the outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease in Kent, we’ve spotted social media posts falsely claiming that the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK may need to go into lockdown if cases continue to rise.
Number 10 confirmed to Full Fact that he did not make these comments, and we traced the fake quote to a satirical Facebook page.
Posts shared hundreds of times on social media claim the PM “says the UK may need to go into lockdown as early as May if meningitis cases continue to escalate”.
Some include an additional quote, supposedly from Mr Starmer, that says “I will do whatever it takes to keep the country safe over the election period, even if that means you can’t go outside”.
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Although many people seem to understand the quote is a joke, a significant number of users appear to think it is real, with one commenting “If its that bad it needs a lockdown…. Why are we waiting a whole 6 weeks to allow it to spread further [sic]” and another saying “It’s an excuse to stop the votes in may”.
At the time of writing, there have been 27 confirmed or suspected cases of the disease and two people have died.
The UKHSA has published a fact sheet about the outbreak in Kent, which says the risk of infection to the wider population remains low.
Posts like those being shared on social media could lead to people making decisions about their health based on false claims.
We’ve answered some questions readers have asked us about MenB here.
