FACT CHECK: UK Foreign Spending Figures Are For The Entire Ministry, Not Just Foreign Secretary

A post shared on Facebook claims to show spending by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Verdict: Misleading

The figures are for all foreign ministry spending, not the foreign secretary’s personal spending.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that Lammy has spent 2238 pounds a day on food and drink. One user wrote, “David Lammy has been in his role as foreign secretary for 233 days racking up £521,525 in food and drink expenses. An impressive £2238 a day. The state pension works out at £31.60 a day.” (RELATED: Claim That Pam Bondi Has Petitioned The Courts To Vacate Anthony Fauci’s Pardon Is Satire)

This claim is misleading. The post counts all spending across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and assigns it to the foreign secretary personally. Data shows that while the expenses in the Facebook post are close to what is shown in the data, it is misleading to state it was Lammy’s spending.

“This is false and misleading. The spend referenced in these reports relates to the entire FCDO Network — covering over 17,000 staff across 281 worldwide offices — over a period of four months,” a FDCO spokesperson told Logically Facts.

Check Your Fact, therefore, rates this claim misleading.