Fact check: Ukraine elections, tax thresholds and viral masked men image

Mr Trump’s comments were based on the fact that Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for last year were postponed due to the ongoing war, and no new dates for these have yet been set.

Under the terms of Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held while the country is under martial law (which was declared by Mr Zelensky in February 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and has been extended multiple times by Ukraine’s parliament).

Experts have also noted a number of practical obstacles to holding elections—around one-fifth of the country is currently occupied by Russia, millions of Ukrainians are displaced or serving on front lines, and there are security concerns.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously claimed Mr Zelensky could not sign a peace deal “because of his illegitimacy”.

But Sam Van der Staak, director for the Regional Europe Programme of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, told Full Fact: “The postponement of Ukraine’s elections is legitimate because Ukraine’s own constitution dictates that while there is martial law there won’t be elections.

“There is also broad public and political consensus within Ukraine that there should not be elections during wartime.”

In a phone call with Mr Zelensky this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reportedly noted the UK itself postponed elections during the Second World War. A general election due to be held in 1940 was delayed until the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

Elections, and the laws guiding when and how they must take place, vary by country. Historically, countries have taken different approaches when faced with the prospect of holding elections in times of war.

Some have been postponed either until later in the war or until fighting had ended.

For example, during the First World War, both the UK and Canada extended their parliamentary terms (effectively delaying elections), while New Zealand postponed elections during the Second World War.

Parliamentary elections have also been postponed in Israel because of conflict, for example due to the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Other countries have decided not to postpone elections in wartime. For example, Australians went to the polls during both world wars, while a presidential election was held in the United States in 1944.

Posts circulating on social media wrongly claim that new tax thresholds mean people earning £37,701 or more will pay the 40% higher rate of income tax.

A number of posts have shared screenshots from the Gov.uk website outlining income tax rules for the 2025/26 tax year.

One post on Facebook says: “How come I havent seen anything on the news about the higher rate tax threshhold being reduced from £50,271 to £37,701 [sic]. Share as much as possible as this has been kept quiet. Yet another stealth tax.”

There will be no change to income tax thresholds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2025/26. (Scotland has different income tax rates—it is raising some thresholds in April, meaning people will be able to earn more before moving into the basic and intermediate bands).

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the 40% higher rate of income tax is generally only paid on income between £50,271 and £125,140, and this will continue to be the case in 2025/26.

The screenshots featured in the Facebook posts appear to be taken from a government webpage outlining how employers should calculate employees’ tax in 2025/26. When we checked, this page appeared at the top of Google search results for the query “tax thresholds 25/26”.

Although the page does state its figures for when different rates apply are annual earnings “above the PAYE threshold”, this appears to have been misunderstood.

An image has been widely shared on social media with claims it shows masked men entering a hospital in central Birmingham recently. But this image is not a real photo of a recent incident at a Birmingham hospital – it was created or modified using Google Artificial Intelligence (AI), and West Midlands Police say no “disorder” took place.

The picture shows multiple hooded and masked individuals, some carrying axes, in a doorway where some of the glass windows have been smashed.

It was shared on X with the caption: “Meanwhile in Birmingham, UK Following the stabbing of a 16 year old boy a gang of axe wielding thugs ravaged an A&E Department at the local hospital [sic].”

There are some other clues that the image was created or edited using AI. For example, the leg of a person to the right and the eyes of three figures in the middle haven’t formed properly, and the green fire exit sign shows nonsensical shapes. One man carrying an axe also appears to have six fingers on his right hand.

We’ve seen some speculation the image is a screenshot from the 2012 Batman film The Dark Knight Rises. While it is possible AI tools could have been used to adapt an existing image, such as a still from a film, we could not see any scene in that film that appears to match the image being shared online.

Police had initially said they were investigating reports of disorder involving a number of people at a Birmingham hospital which was believed to be linked to a stabbing in the area.

But a statement from West Midlands Police on February 17 said “images being shared on social media which claim to show people carrying weapons at a hospital are fake”, and added: “We know that no disorder took place at any hospital in Birmingham following the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy.

“We have confirmed this with officers who were in attendance, ambulance officials, and hospital staff who were on duty at the time.”

“After investigating, we have found that the boy’s family, along with community members close to him, gathered at the hospital and were understandably upset and concerned with his welfare. There was no disorder.”