Kate Lewis

Fact Checker (former)

Kate joined Full Fact on secondment in January 2020, while completing the final year of a PhD in social epidemiology at UCL. She previously worked as a statistical officer in the civil service and as a research officer for Mencap, a charity that supports people with a learning disability.

18 February 2020

Change in LGBT+ hate crime levels not as simple as Dawn Butler suggests

There are two sources of data on this type of hate crime, one estimates a 261% increase and the other a 40% decrease since around 2010.

17 February 2020

There's no evidence that the 2019 coronavirus originated in a Chinese government laboratory

A new article written by Chinese scientists does not prove that the 2019 coronavirus outbreak came from bats in a government laboratory.

14 February 2020

Poverty hasn’t skyrocketed in the UK

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said “there has been little change in overall poverty levels for more than 15 years.”

14 February 2020

There are some mistakes in these figures about lung cancer diagnoses

The figures in this article are inaccurate, leading to exaggerated claims about late lung cancer diagnoses in A&E.

13 February 2020

Daily Mirror incorrectly reports the results of statins and blood pressure drugs study.

A study found that taking statins or blood pressure pills increased the likelihood of obesity by 82%, but the findings can’t be applied to the wider population.

13 February 2020

This image on benefits for pensioners and refugees is not correct

This viral image claims that pensioners can collect just a fifth of the benefits ‘illegal immigrants’ and refugees can. But how much can each group really get?

13 February 2020

These aren’t satellite images and they don’t show evidence of mass cremations in Wuhan

Images claiming to show high levels of sulphur dioxide above Wuhan are not based on real satellite data.

11 February 2020

Prisoners don’t have to pay the TV licence whereas most pensioners will soon have to

Prisoners who have a TV in their cell are exempt from the TV licence fee, but pay a weekly rental charge.

4 February 2020

UK death rates have stayed the same since 2011

It is important to take the size and age structure of the population into account.

3 February 2020

Since 2010, the UK has granted protection to around 41,000 asylum seekers and refugees under the age of 18

At least 40% were accompanied by a parent or carer.

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About

Kate Lewis

Fact Checker (former)

Change in LGBT+ hate crime levels not as simple as Dawn Butler suggests

There's no evidence that the 2019 coronavirus originated in a Chinese government laboratory

Poverty hasn’t skyrocketed in the UK

There are some mistakes in these figures about lung cancer diagnoses

Daily Mirror incorrectly reports the results of statins and blood pressure drugs study.

This image on benefits for pensioners and refugees is not correct

These aren’t satellite images and they don’t show evidence of mass cremations in Wuhan

Prisoners don’t have to pay the TV licence whereas most pensioners will soon have to

UK death rates have stayed the same since 2011

Since 2010, the UK has granted protection to around 41,000 asylum seekers and refugees under the age of 18

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