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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Kevin Rawlinson

Ministers dismiss claims Maria Caulfield pushed ‘15-minute cities’ conspiracy theory

Maria Caulfield Penny Mordaunt Lucy Powell
Maria Caulfield
Maria Caulfield said she was only reflecting rumours spread among her constituents. Photograph: Lucy North/PA

Government ministers have dismissed allegations one of them pushed a conspiracy theory in campaign literature.

Maria Caulfield, a health minister, spread claims about “15-minute cities" – an idea explicitly referenced in a guide on conspiracy theories prepared for MPs last week by the leader of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt, and the shadow leader, Lucy Powell.

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