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← All fact checksMorning run · September 29, 2026 · #13 by reach
Politics

Claim About Josh Simons' Appointment as Head of Policy is False

Has former MP Josh Simons been made head of the No 10 policy unit under Andy Burnham?

False

The Facebook post falsely claims Josh Simons has been made Andy Burnham's head of policy. Credible reporting and a Full Fact fact-check show Graeme Cooke was reported as appointed to the Number 10 policy unit in July 2026 and that Simons was not given that role.

+2Sources ↓Original post ↗
Genuine
The post as it circulated, labelled by our media check.Image

Claims

✓ 2 true · ✕ 1 false

Josh Simons was the Makerfield MP who stood aside to allow Andy Burnham to run for Parliament.

✓ True90% confidence

Josh Simons served as the Labour MP for Makerfield from July 2024 until he resigned in May 2026 to allow Andy Burnham to contest the seat; multiple reputable outlets reported his resignation for that purpose.

itv.com ↗apnews.com ↗bbc.co.uk ↗

He 'gave up his £92k per year job' (i.e., the MP role paid about £92,000).

✓ Likely true80% confidence

MP pay in the period around 2024–26 was reported in government documents and summaries at roughly £91k–£92k; saying he gave up a ~£92k-a-year MP role is consistent with published figures.

gov.uk ↗paybreakdown.co.uk ↗

Josh Simons 'is now Head of policy' (i.e., appointed head of No.10's policy unit for Prime Minister Andy Burnham).

✕ False95% confidence

Independent fact-checkers and multiple media reports show that Graeme Cooke was reported to have been appointed as head/director of the Number 10 policy unit in July 2026; Full Fact contacted Mr Simons and reports he was not appointed to that role.

fullfact.org ↗newstatesman.com ↗theguardian.com ↗

What was posted

Facebook

Has former MP Josh Simons been made head of the No 10 policy unit under Andy Burnham?

The media

Image
Genuine

Synthetic-media detector

Detector ran

The claim stands or falls on whether the media is real, so the detector ran.

AI-generated likelihood0%
Deepfake likelihood0%

Scores are the detector’s estimate for the file as uploaded. A low score does not rule out editing, a spliced caption, or footage shown out of context — those are judged above. Model v3.

Sources

5 sources reviewed

The full story

Bias

NoneSlightModerateStrong

Leans anti-Andy Burnham / pro-opposition (derisive). The post uses mocking language ('Tiny Andy', 'slither into #10') and frames Simons' resignation negatively to attack Burnham; it pushes a partisan, derisive narrative rather than neutrally reporting facts.

Bias describes how the post frames its message — the slant of the language, selection and emphasis — and is judged separately from whether the claim is true. A true claim can still be framed with a strong slant.

How we checked

1 min 32 s

✓ Claim checked✓ Media checked✓ Sources checked

Why 86% confidence

High

High confidence from independent corroboration.

About this check

Platform
Facebook
Where it spread
United Kingdom
Language
EN
Status
● Post is live
Verified
September 29, 2026, 09:44 UTC
Published
September 29, 2026, 09:44 UTC

Reach. Multiple Facebook posts and a reel; two posts deleted after Full Fact contacted them; no counts published

This verdict was generated with AI from the sources shown. AI can make mistakes — check the sources before relying on it.

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