The claim "Some people said that achieving this could not be done" appears in the context of Starmer's assertion that the UK has "the fastest growing economy in the G7." The "this" refers to achieving the fastest G7 growth, and "some people" refers to those who expressed skepticism. This is well-documented. Multiple sources confirm that critics — particularly Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride, Bloomberg Economics, and the Telegraph — publicly expressed doubt about the UK's ability to achieve the fastest growth in the G7. The Telegraph reported in January 2026 that "Sir Keir Starmer is poised to miss his goal of making Britain the fastest-growing economy in the G7, new forecasts from the International Monetary Fund suggest." Bloomberg reported the UK was "falling short of Starmer goal to top G-7 growth league." The shadow chancellor accused the government of "gaslighting the country" and said the economy was "flatlining." These are clear examples of people saying the goal could not be achieved. On the underlying achievement: UK GDP did grow 0.6% in Q1 2026, making it the fastest-growing G7 economy on a quarterly basis for that quarter (confirmed by ONS data, AP News, and the House of Commons Library). However, on annual forecasts — including the OECD forecast published the same day as the speech (June 3, 2026) — the UK was projected to grow at 0.9% in 2026, which was not the fastest in the G7 (the US and Canada were projected to grow faster). The IMF's July 2026 update placed the UK as the third-fastest growing G7 economy for 2026. The specific claim being verified — that "some people said achieving this could not be done" — is a rhetorical assertion about skepticism, and it is clearly true. Numerous critics and forecasters publicly doubted the UK could top the G7 growth league. Sources: - Telegraph: "Sir Keir Starmer poised to miss growth pledge, IMF suggests" (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/19/starmer-poised-to-miss-growth-pledge-warns-imf/) - Bloomberg: "UK on Track to End 2025 Well Short of Starmer's G-7 Growth Goal" (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-15/uk-is-falling-short-of-starmer-goal-to-top-g-7-growth-league) - AP News: "UK becomes fastest-growing G7 economy after strong first quarter" (https://apnews.com/article/uk-economy-growth-g7-reeves-2d7b9761e53d3d490c3181a1fa89651b) - House of Commons Library: "GDP international comparisons: Economic indicators" (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02784/) - OECD Economic Outlook, June 2026: "United Kingdom" (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2026/06/oecd-economic-outlook-volume-2026-issue-1_8be0dba6/full-report/united-kingdom_ee1bed4d.html) - Guardian: "IMF upgrades UK growth forecast as fears over impact of Iran war diminish" (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/08/imf-upgrades-uk-growth-forecast-as-fears-over-impact-of-iran-war-diminish)