Prime Minister told to use side of hammer while on visit

A video posted on Instagram, of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak using the side of a hammer, has been shared with the caption “Rishi Sunak doesn’t know how to use a hammer”. The video has also been shared several times on Facebook, alongside similar claims about Mr Sunak’s apparent lack of competence using the tool. 

As we pointed out on our blog last week, footage of the entire exchange posted by a BBC correspondent shows Mr Sunak was told to use the side of the hammer by the woman he’s sitting alongside. 

The video was taken last Thursday, on 23 November, when Mr Sunak was on a visit to Farsley in West Yorkshire. The clip of Mr Sunak using the hammer appeared in an ITV News report [programme no longer available] on Thursday evening, and gained a large number of views and shares on social media on Friday afternoon. 

In the unedited version of the video, Mr Sunak asked the woman which side of the hammer he should be using to take part in the demonstration. She picked one out for him, then told him: “You’re going to use this bit” while gesturing at the side of the hammer. 

Mr Sunak replied “Oh, sideways?“, and the woman said “yeah”. 

At Full Fact, we sometimes see videos or images of politicians taken out of context, edited or miscaptioned. We recently fact checked an edited image of the Prime Minister pouring a pint of beer. We also found last month that an image of Mr Sunak shared on his official X account hadn’t been altered as some critics claimed. 

False or misleading claims online have the potential to harm individuals, groups and democratic processes and institutions. Online claims can spread fast and far, and are difficult to contain and correct.

Image courtesy of No 10.