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Economy in NI: Has regional inequality doubled since 1998?
26 February 2026
CLAIM: In 1998, Belfast’s Gross Value Added (GVA) was 42% while according to the most recent statistics its GVA is now 80% – meaning regional inequality has doubled in that time.
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INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
In a 26 January Assembly debate about economic trends on the island of Ireland, SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin claimed: “Regional inequality has doubled here since
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NI trade:will new EU customs fees apply to NI?
18 February 2026
CLAIM: EU customs regulations allowing imports of goods valued under €150 for no fee are to be abolished, with a €3 flat fee to apply from 1 July this year. Northern Ireland is within the EU customs zone and this fee will apply to packages arriving here from outside the EU. Furthermore, an extra handling fee of €2 is also set to be added – and will also apply locally.
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MIXED
In a Member’s Statement delivered to the NI Assembly on 19 January, UUP MLA Steve Aiken said: “Members may not be aware of European Commission
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Economy in NI: Has NI trade with both Great Britain and Ireland increased substantially in recent years?
26 January 2026
CLAIM: In 2023, exports from NI to GB rose 12.4% year-on-year, while imports rose 16.2%. In 2001, cross-border trade with Ireland was worth £1.9bn. By 2015, it held a “similar” value but by 2022 it was worth over £7bn
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In a debate in the Assembly on 8 December, Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy claimed: “The Windsor framework has protected our unique dual market access.
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Employment in NI: Do over 18,000 people regularly cross the border for work?
17 December 2025
CLAIM: Over 18,000 workers in total cross the border, in either direction, on a regular basis. This number has increased by over 4,000 in the past decade.
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On 24 November, the Assembly debated a motion noting the latest Joint Census publication covering all of Ireland. The motion was tabled by Sinn Féin
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Immigration in NI: Home Office response to FactCheckNI’s Freedom of Information Request
15 December 2025
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Labour market in NI: Does NI have the lowest unemployment on these islands?
28 November 2025
CLAIM: Northern Ireland has lower unemployment than in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The local unemployment rate has dropped by 80% since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION.
During a discussion on BBC Radio Ulster show Talk Back on 21 October, UUP MLA Jon Burrows claimed: “Sometimes we need to remember that Northern
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Immigration in NI: Does Belfast provide homes to more “illegal migrants” than every other UK city except Glasgow?
28 August 2025
CLAIM: New Home Office data has revealed the ten cities with the most homes given to “illegal migrants” in the UK – with Glasgow at the top and Belfast in second place.
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INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 21 August, a social media user calling themselves “Basil the Great” claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter): This isn’t accurate, for several
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Explainer: Who migrates to the UK and what are they entitled to?
9 July 2025
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Are a significant number of health workers in Northern Ireland not originally from here?
5 September 2024
CLAIM: Almost 12,000 immigrants work in the NI health and social care system. In the two years prior to 2023, over 40% of the nurse graduates recruited by the Belfast Trust were from abroad.
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ACCURATE
On 12 August, the Alliance Party published an “evidence paper” around immigration into Northern Ireland, which claimed: “…nearly 12,000 [immigrants] work in the Health and Articles
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Has Northern Ireland the lowest number of registered asylum seekers in the UK?
7 August 2024
Northern Ireland has the lowest number of registered asylum seekers in any part of the UK. The number of people seeking asylum reduced between March 2023 and March 2024.
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On the BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show on 6 August 2024 [from 1.08], the presenter Stephen Nolan stated the following: “We asked the Home Office Articles
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Did the number of asylum applications in the UK peak in 2002?
28 June 2024
CLAIM: The annual number of asylum applications to the UK peaked in 2002, and people who originally came to the UK seeking asylum make up 0.6% of the UK’s total population.
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In their manifesto for the 2024 general election, the Alliance Party claimed: “The annual number of asylum applications to the UK peaked in 2002, and
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Has the British Government cut the Army to its smallest size in 300 years?
27 June 2024
CLAIM: The British Government has cut the Army to its smallest size in 300 years.
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In its 2024 Westminster election manifesto, the TUV claimed: “They [the UK government] have cut the Army to its smallest size in 300 years.” Whether