An image of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer standing in front of a plane with the Union flag on its tail has been extensively circulating online, claiming that it is his private jet.
The Facebook post reads: “But he will preach you about getting rid of your diesel cars
whilst pushing towards net 0 what a mug he is”.
The above post can be seen here. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the claim and found it to be false.
Through Reverse Image Search, the NM team identified the image as a screenshot from an interview with Keir Starmer at Stansted Airport on July 9.
The video, uploaded by Reuters, was captioned, “NATO ‘must send Putin a very clear message’ — UK PM.” Sky News also shared the video on July 9, 2024, reporting that Starmer was en route to Washington DC for the 75th NATO summit. In the video, Starmer discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the stance of NATO allies while holding a red ministerial folder. The viral image had been edited to brighten and alter the colour of his blazer, but the background and his attire match the original footage.
An article in BBC, dated June 25, 2020, features several photos resembling the plane in the viral image, identifying it as an RAF Voyager. The plane was refurbished with a Union flag livery, costing £900,000, to represent the United Kingdom. It is typically used by the Royal family, the Prime Minister, and other senior government officials for international travel.
According to the RAF, Voyager “Vespina”, known by its Military Registration Number ‘ZZ336’, is used to transport ministers, senior officials, the Royal family, and their delegates for trade, diplomatic, and other missions. It can operate at any airport and can accommodate an Airbus A330. Vespina began its operational duties on June 26, 2020. The Union flag design on Vespina’s tail, as shown on the RAF website, matches the viral image. Additionally, Alamy, a stock photo website, features images of the aircraft with the Union flag livery. This confirms that the aircraft in the image is the RAF VIP Voyager, not a private jet.
Generally, most private jets or planes owned in the UK are registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and the civil aircraft starts with ‘G’ prefix. Even the CAA website has not carried any report to support the claim that Starmer owns a private jet.
Thus, we can say that the image of PM Starmer standing in front of RAF Voyager has gone viral falsely claiming that he was using his own private jet.
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