The Express did not report a plan to bring Ceuta migrants to the UK – Full Fact

Screenshots from a fake Daily Express article and video about the migrant crisis in Ceuta are being shared online.

The screenshot and video, which both carry the Daily Express logo, claim that the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has proposed to bring “thousands of stranded migrants” in the Spanish exclave to the UK.

But the Express journalist whose name appeared on the fake article has confirmed on X that it was not real. The official X account of the Daily Express has also confirmed that the story was not written or published by the newspaper. The website that published the fake article appears to be no longer online.

Tom Hunt, Editorial Director (Brands) at Reach, which publishes the Daily Express, told us by email: “We have been taking steps to try to remove a cloned website posing as the Express and fraudulently circulating a fake story which was not written or published by us, or the reporter named in the byline.

“While we’ve seen copycat fakes of this nature before, this example is somewhat more sophisticated in its design and we urge everyone to look closely at viral news shared on social channels, especially at URLs.”

Mr Burnham has reportedly said the government was “providing what help we can” following a conversation with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez about the crisis. But we can find no evidence of him or any genuine media outlets suggesting there might be a plan to bring Ceuta migrants to the UK. The government has made no announcements about a new policy involving Ceuta.

We’ve previously fact checked other false and misleading claims about the situation in Ceuta. Full Fact publishes a range of guides on how to verify the things you see on social media.