The Tory Truth Gap: Outright Lies and Misleading Claims from the UK Conservative Party

The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has been repeatedly accused of misleading the public, spreading false information, and, in some cases, telling outright lies. Below are some of the most significant examples, based on events and evidence up to October 2023, where members of the party were caught bending or breaking the truth.

Brexit and the £350 Million Claim

During the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Leave campaign, supported by leading Conservatives including Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, emblazoned a slogan across a campaign bus that read: “We send the EU £350 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead.”

This figure was grossly misleading. It ignored the rebate the UK received from the EU and failed to account for the funds that were returned to Britain to support various projects. The UK Statistics Authority labelled the claim as “misleading”, and it quickly became a symbol of dishonesty. Johnson later conceded that using the figure had been a “mistake”, but the damage was already done.

Lockdown Parties and Denials in Downing Street

While the country endured strict COVID-19 restrictions, Boris Johnson and other senior Conservatives insisted that no rules had been broken in Number Ten. In December 2021, Johnson told Parliament that all guidance had been followed at all times.

However, subsequent investigations led by Sue Gray and the Metropolitan Police found that numerous gatherings had taken place in breach of lockdown rules. Fines were issued, including one to Johnson himself.

The scandal sparked widespread public anger and ultimately contributed to Johnson’s resignation in July 2022.

Austerity and the National Debt

Under George Osborne, the Conservative government argued that austerity was essential to “pay down the national debt”. In reality, while the budget deficit was reduced, the national debt actually doubled between 2010 and 2020, rising from around £1 trillion to more than £2 trillion.

This contradiction led critics to accuse the government of deceiving the public in order to justify severe cuts to public services, cuts which disproportionately affected the most vulnerable.

The NHS and the “Forty New Hospitals”

In the run-up to the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson promised that the Conservatives would build forty new hospitals by 2030. The announcement grabbed headlines and was used to signal a commitment to improving the NHS.

Yet investigations later revealed that only a few were actually new hospitals. Most of the projects were upgrades or extensions to existing facilities. The National Audit Office expressed doubts about whether the plans were achievable within the promised timeframe.

The claim was heavily criticised as another example of political spin designed to sway voters.

Migration Promises That Fell Flat

Both David Cameron and Theresa May promised to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” per year. Despite this pledge being repeated for years, net migration consistently remained in the hundreds of thousands.

The failure to deliver cast doubt on the government’s credibility on immigration and undermined public confidence in its ability to manage the issue effectively.

Education Funding Claims

The Conservatives have often claimed that they were increasing school funding in real terms. But analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed that, once inflation and rising costs were taken into account, funding per pupil actually declined between 2010 and 2019.

Teachers, parents, and unions accused the government of painting a false picture while schools struggled with reduced resources.

The Rwanda Deportation Plan

The government claimed that its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would deter illegal migration and dismantle people smuggling operations. However, the policy faced immediate legal obstacles and was blocked by the European Court of Human Rights before the first flight could take off.

Experts questioned the effectiveness and ethics of the scheme, describing it as costly and likely to fail. Many saw it as a political gesture rather than a practical solution.

Boris Johnson’s Comments About Muslim Women

In 2018, Boris Johnson wrote in a newspaper column that Muslim women wearing burqas looked like “letterboxes” and likened them to “bank robbers”. While he argued that his remarks were a defence of free speech, they were widely condemned as Islamophobic.

Following his comments, there was a noted increase in hate crimes targeting Muslim women. The episode raised fresh concerns about the Conservative Party’s attitude towards Islamophobia.

These incidents reflect a pattern of misleading claims and broken promises that have severely damaged public trust in the Conservative Party. Political messaging is nothing new, but the scale and brazenness of these examples have left a lasting impression on the national conscience.

So what do the Conservatives have to show for it?

Empty slogans. Manipulated statistics. Policies that fall apart under scrutiny.

And perhaps most worryingly of all — no real accountability. No resignations. No genuine apologies. Just more deflection and denial.

Why does it continue?

Because a largely compliant media too often lets them off the hook.

Because a political system built to serve the powerful protects those in charge.

And because too many people are distracted by manufactured culture wars, rather than holding their leaders to account.