Don’t fall for the social media claim that Rishi Sunak photoshopped himself into an image with three students to promote his proposed ban on smoking.
After his closing speech for the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday, the prime minister posted on X (formerly Twitter) to highlight his new plans.
In one particular post, his caption said, “none of us want our children to grow up to smoke”, and explained how he wants to change the law so children turning 14 or younger this year can never legally be sold cigarettes in their lifetime.
The accompanying photo showed the PM smiling with three youngsters, with “a generation that grows up smoke free” written above their heads.
One has his arm around Sunak, and one appears to be wearing a jumper which reads: “Kentucky.”
The image has been edited to have blue, red and white strips on it and the new Tory slogan – “long term decisions for a brighter future” .
Social media couldn’t wait to slam on the PM’s supposedly poor photoshop skills, with some claiming it was an image taken in the US (where Sunak used to live).
Yet, despite social media’s best attempts to prove otherwise, the prime minister’s latest post is actually a legitimate image.
The Conservative Party’s Flickr account actually shared the photo for the first time on February 9, 2023.
According to the caption, it was taken in Truro, when Sunak was visiting Truro and Penwith College with MP Cherilyn Mackrory – proving once again that we really shouldn’t believe everything we read on the internet.
