Facts

When asked on Sky News how many more of the 50,000 will actually be new, Johnson responded “31,000”. 

Since Boris Johnson originally made the pledge in November 2019 the number of employed NHS nurses has increased by 24,363, from 331,983 in November 2019 to 356,346 in June 2022.

Verdict

One of a large number of misleading claims made by the outgoing Prime Minister in his farewell address outside Downing Street. Johnson had previously admitted that only 31,000 of the ‘50,000’ figure will be new nurses.

We emailed Boris Johnson's office offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.