Economy, Business & Finance
Interest payments on the national debt
About 5% of government spending goes on interest payments, although this is below the historic average. Read
Fact check
Debt and deficit
Fact checks related to policies of austerity and public and national debt
Economy, Business & Finance
Is the deficit down by two thirds?
Between 2009/10 and 2015/16 public sector net borrowing decreased from 9.9% of GDP to 3.8%, or by around two thirds. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Will a hard Brexit cost £100 billion?
The most recent figures can’t tell us how much of an impact Brexit has had on the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast for public sector debt. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Will there be half a trillion pounds of borrowing under Labour?
We've seen claims about Labour's plans for investment spending. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Government borrowing
Borrowing peaked at about 10% of the size of the economy (GDP) in 2009/10, and it’s now down to about 3.5%. That’s a relatively large deficit, but not off the scale historically. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Best laid plans... for reducing the deficit
The deficit did fall while the Coalition was in power, but not by as much as originally planned. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Jobcentre closures
Half the Jobcentre Plus sites in Glasgow are set to close under DWP plans. The Department plans to reduce its office space nationwide by 20%. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Brexit means... borrowing?
The Office for Budget Responsibility expect the government to have a £21 billion deficit in 2020/21. In March they had predicted an £11 billion surplus. Read
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Economy, Business & Finance
Disability benefits: spending on the rise?
Overall spending on disability benefits is forecast to increase in the coming years, even after inflation is taken into account. Read
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Health
40% of mental health trusts have seen their incomes fall
It’s correct that 40% of mental health trusts had lower income in 2015/16 compared to the previous year, according to analysis by the King’s Fund think tank. Read
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Evidence you can rely on
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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