BNO居留權︱Fact Check︱鄭若驊葉劉錯引言論屈英國違《聯合聲明》 ｜ 蘋果日報
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政府及建制派連日批評英國為BNO持有人提供「5+1」入籍路徑，政司司長鄭若驊上月31日在其網誌以「正確理解《中英聯合聲明》和英方備忘錄」為題撰文，借英格蘭及威爾斯前總檢察長高仕文勳爵2008年的言論，批評英方讓BNO持有人擁有英國公民資格的做法無理。一直倡處理「雙重國籍」的行會成員、新民黨主席葉劉淑儀亦有引用高仕文言論，指控英方違反《聲明》，但其實高仕文去年2月已作公開澄清，表明英方即使給予BNO持有人全面居英權，亦不會違反英方在《聲明》的承諾。
鄭若驊早前在上述網誌中指：「英格蘭及威爾斯前總檢察長高仕文勳爵在2008年的國民資格檢討中認為，若賦予英國國民（海外）護照持有人自動擁有完整的英國公民資格，會違背中英雙方在《聯合聲明》中的承諾，並認為『唯一的辦法……是讓現時持有英國國民（海外）護照的人擁有完整英國公民資格……但根據意見，這會違背中英雙方1984年在《聯合聲明》有關香港前途的承諾……』」。
葉劉今早於港台節目亦再次引述相關言論，指高仕文2008年已指出，若予BNO持有人英國國籍將會違反《聲明》中的承諾。
高仕文去年去信英內相 嘆舊論長年被錯引
《蘋果》翻查資料後發現，高仕文其實早於去年2月已經公開去信英國內政大臣彭黛玲，指由於其有關英國國籍的報告，長年被人錯誤引用，故特別更深入研究該問題。根據他可取得的資料，他認為英國政府即使給予BNO持有人全面居英權，亦不會違反英方在《中英聯合聲明》的承諾（it is my view that the UK government can extend full rights of abode to BN(O) passport holders without breaching its side of the Sino-British Joint Declaration）。
民主黨國際事務委員會主席劉慧卿回覆《蘋果》查詢時指，英國政府當年亦一度錯誤理解高仕文有關給予BNO持有人英國國籍的分析，故此高仕文特別去信英方澄清，怎料鄭若驊及葉劉淑儀等人至今仍是繼續錯誤引述高仕文言論。劉指「高仕文嗰份嘢（公開澄清信件）唔係秘密嚟，反映佢哋（鄭若驊、葉劉）好論盡囉！總之佢哋邊樣嘢就手、邊樣嘢啱就攞嚟用」。
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Fact-Checking Biden’s First Week in Office
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President Biden, in his first week in office, typically stuck to vetted scripts and verified facts — a departure from his predecessor’s freewheeling and fact-free rhetorical style.
Over all, Mr. Biden used the presidential podium to promote his policy priorities. His remarks were aspirational and light on empirical assertions. Of 20 factual claims The New York Times analyzed from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, all but three were largely if not completely accurate. One claim was an overly optimistic projection, another falsely criticized former President Donald J. Trump and a third Mr. Biden corrected almost immediately.
Here’s a review.
The president got basic facts right on the toll and racial disparities of the pandemic.
Mr. Biden most often used statistics from government agencies and think tanks to emphasize the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
His assertions that 900,000 Americans filed for unemployment the week before his inauguration, and that almost 16 million continued to claim unemployment benefits, that almost 10 percent of Black Americans and just over 9 percent of Hispanic Americans are unemployed, and that 600,000 workers in local education have lost their jobs are all backed by the latest Labor Department reports.
Fact check: Biden temporarily banned new oil and gas leasing on public lands
The claim: Biden is banning fracking
A Jan. 25 Facebook post denounced fact-checkers for misjudging a Trump campaign talking point about President Joe Biden putting an end to fracking.
The post is a meme that compares a headline from a Washington Post fact-check article published in October to a Jan. 20 piece in conservative opinion website Townhall written by Katie Pavlich.
In “Trump campaign promotes false claim that Biden would end fracking,” the Post gave the Trump team’s assertion that Biden would eliminate fracking “Four Pinnochios.”
Underneath Facebook post’s headline is the comment “And look what Biden is doing,” with arrows pointing down to Pavlich’s article headline, “Biden Administration: Yes, We Are Following Through With a Fracking Ban” to refute that false rating.
“Where have those ‘fact checkers’ gone anyways,” the post caption states.
USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment.
Fracking, the process of extracting natural gas from the earth through drilling, was a recurrent topic during the 2020 presidential debates. Neither headline featured in the claim tells the full story of Biden’s fracking policy.
More: Fact check: Marines did not salute Joe Biden before he was sworn in, per protocol
Did Biden propose a fracking ban?
The Biden campaign emphasized the dangers posed to the environment by fossil fuel extraction in a $1.7 trillion Clean Energy Revolution proposal, according to the campaign’s website.
But during the last presidential debate on Oct. 23, then-Democratic presidential nominee Biden said he would rule out eliminating all fracking.
“I do rule out banning fracking because the answer we need — We need other industries to transition to get to, ultimately, a complete zero emissions by 2025,” he said, according to a transcript. “What I will do with fracking over time is make sure that we can capture the emissions from the fracking. Capture the emissions from gas. We can do that and we can do that by investing money into — It’s a transition to that.”
Story continues
Despite Biden’s statement, former President Donald Trump accused him of declaring war on the oil industry, USA TODAY reported in October.
More: Why the Biden and Trump campaigns both claim they won the final 2020 presidential debate
A December 2019 report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute estimates a fracking ban imposed in 2021 would cost the U.S. economy 19 million jobs and reduce gross domestic Pproduct by $7.1 trillion.
Temporary moratorium on oil and gas leases
The Washington Post article cited in the meme fact-checks a Trump campaign advertisement that uses Biden soundbites to falsely claim he will ban all fracking.
The Townhall article references Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s Jan. 20 statement on Biden’s executive action to place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing only in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
It states that Psaki confirmed “President Biden will follow through with campaign promises to ban new fracking on federal land.” The article recaps an exchange between a reporter, who asks if the White House still plans to end new oil and gas leases for federal land, and Psaki, who answers, “We do and the leases will be reviewed by our team.”
The order was a precursor to a Jan. 27 executive order that paused new leasing on public lands and offshore waters, according to The White House.
More: Fact Check: Joe Biden wants to eliminate new fracking permits, not all fracking
The article does not mention Trump’s campaign-era accusations against the president’s policy on fracking.
USA TODAY reached out to Townhall for comment.
Biden reiterated his stance on the practice and committed to reviewing and resetting the oil and gas leasing program in his Jan. 27 remarks.
“Let me be clear, and I know this always comes up: We’re not going to ban fracking. We’ll protect jobs and grow jobs, including through stronger standards, like controls from methane leaks and union workers in — willing to install the changes,” he said.
The Biden administration has not followed through with a ban on fracking, as the claim states.
Our rating: False
We rate this claim FALSE, based on our research. A Facebook claim stating that Biden is following through with a fracking ban referenced an article from a conservative opinion website that notes the Biden administration’s recent environmental action. Biden signed two executive orders placing a temporary moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on public lands and offshore waters, but he has not banned fracking. The president said he will not put an end to fracking in remarks released by the White House.
Our fact-check sources:
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Biden orders don’t completely ban fracking