The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.
Questions tagged [united-kingdom]
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Did the UK homicide rate go up after handgun ownership was banned?
During debates about gun control, I have seen gun advocates quote a statistic that the UK homicide rate increased in 1996 following a ban on handguns. Furthermore, the claim usually goes on to suggest that what bought violent crime back down to…
Bob Tway
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Are refugees in the UK holidaying in the countries they fled from?
According to UK Conservative MP Adam Holloway, quoted in the Daily Express:
“Likewise, we have people in this country who have come here, claimed asylum and then go back on holiday in the places where they’ve claimed asylum from."
Is there any…
gerrit
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Could someone who sent a letter in 19th century London expect a reply within 2 hours?
The official QI Twitter account (@qikipedia) today said the following:
If you sent a letter in 19th century London you could expect a reply within 2 hours
Is there any merit to this claim?
Nzall
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Is Muhammad one of the most popular names for boys in England and Wales?
A number of articles describe how Muhammad is the most popular name in the UK for baby boys, topping William and other names.
A few links for reference:
2016 Independent article
Muhammad has replaced William in the top ten most popular boys' names…
MBender
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Is this photo of Jeremy Corbyn and caption accurate?
At a Time when Margaret Thatcher was calling Nelson Mandela a terrorist, and a young David Cameron was living it up on all expenses paid tours around apartheid South Africa, Jeremy Corbyn was being roughed up and arrested for blockading the South…
Tim
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Was Stonehenge built in the 1950s?
A set of photos from a Russian web-site apparently show Stonehenge being built in the 1950s, rather than the more customary dates of 3000-2000 BC.
An conspiracy theory web-site Max Resistance attempts to explain the claims in English:
1954 PHOTOS…
federk
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Did the UK slip to sixth largest world economy from fifth, less than 24 hours after the EU referendum vote?
Some news sources have reported that in the 24 hours after the UK's results on the EU referendum came through, the UK dropped from 5th largest economy in the world, to 6th, being overtaken by France.
For example, this headline in the Metro:
France…
user56reinstatemonica8
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Was a four year-old forced to sleep on the floor of Leeds General Infirmary?
I'm referring to this article, where a four year old with suspected pneumonia was, due to overcrowding after the NHS cuts, forced to sleep on the floor of the hospital.
Numerous Twitter accounts, all of which claim to have a sister there, claim this…
Comic Sans Strikephim
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During Great Britain's coal-free day, were coal plants shut off, or active and generating power GB didn't use?
On Friday 21st April, the UK National Grid announced the following on twitter:
National Grid can confirm that for the past 24 hours, it has supplied GB's electricity demand without the need for #coal generation.
They further clarified in a…
doppelgreener
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Are razor blades tax-free in the UK?
A comic by artist Naoise Dolan published March 2015 has been circulating heavily on social media:
The world according to the UK government:
Men’s razors are taxed as necessities because you need to avoid stubble
Women’s sanitary products are taxed…
Comic Sans Strikephim
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Was the Obama administration responsible for the decision to move the US embassy in London and the sale of the old location?
President Donald Trump claims that moving the US embassy in the United Kingdom to a different location was a bad decision and a "bad deal". He puts the blame on the Obama administration.
Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big…
SQB
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Does the BBC have TV detector vans and how can they tell if you aren't paying a license fee?
I've heard from more than a few Brits that if you own a TV but don't pay your license fee, they'll come after you with unexpected visits and or fines.
Here is an example article debating their existence.
Even if you smuggle your TV into the…
Nick T
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Is the UK lorry driver shortage unrelated to Brexit? Do EU countries have equal or greater shortages?
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps claims that Brexit is not one of the causes of the UK lorry driver shortage which is causing shortages of food in supermarkets and shortages of fuel in petrol stations.
Is he correct?
(Accepting that the driver…
A E
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Is austerity in the UK responsible for "120,000" extra deaths?
The UK government has been implementing tight constraints on public spending to attempt to recover from the 2008 financial crash and bailout. But this austerity is controversial.
A recent report in The Independent claims the following (I've bolded…
matt_black
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Did the UK government pay "millions and millions of dollars" to try to snag Julian Assange?
In a Fox News broadcast (timestamp 2:59), Greg Palkot (London-based senior foreign affairs correspondent for Fox News) said of Julian Assange:
"He has cost the UK government and security forces, police here, millions and millions of dollars.…
user45933