Get the facts on the economy

Fact checks about the economy, covering levels of inequality, prices, taxation, employment, unemployment and housing across the UK nations and regions

Get the facts on… Inequality in the UK Jobs and work Brexit

Comparing UK regions

Fact checks related to reporting of differences between UK nations and regions including council tax and leveling up funding

Debt and deficit

Fact checks related to policies of austerity and public and national debt

Homes

Fact checks related to house prices, the number of new homes built, landlords and private renting

Brexit

Fact checks looking at the impact and reported impact of brexit on the UK economy

The EU did not completely outlaw use of imperial measures in the UK
17 June 2022

Claims that the EU forced the UK to adopt the metric system and made the use of imperial measures illegal are not entirely true.

Claims of an EU mineral water ban need a drop of context
28 October 2021

Manufacturers can continue to export to Britain, as long as they renew their accreditation by 7 January 2022.

The government’s numbers on savings for wine drinkers don’t add up
2 August 2021

The government estimated its new imports policy will save wine drinkers £130 million. An industry body puts the figure at around £30 million.

More fact checks on Brexit

Inequality in the UK

Fact checks focused on homelessness, poverty, inequality and social mobility

Jobs and work

Fact checks related to the employment rate, unemployment, pensions and the gender pay gap

The economy fact checks

How wages and pensions in the UK and France compare
30 January 2023

A tweet shared more than 5,000 times makes a number of comparisons between France and the UK, many of which need context or are not quite right.

Jeff Bezos couldn’t give every Amazon worker £90,000
27 January 2023

A bonus suggested by the Labour MP Zarah Sultana would cost more than Mr Bezos’s reported total wealth, let alone any wealth he gained during the pandemic.

Which regions receive the most levelling up funding?
19 January 2023

Claims about the disproportionate allocation of funding have circulated in the wake of the new levelling up awards.

See all the economy fact checks

Prices

Fact checks related to the economy in the UK, spending, house prices, public transport, and inflation measures such as the CPI and RPI

Scotland's economy

Fact checks related to the scottish economy, taxation and spending

Tax dodging

Fact checks focused on tax evasion, avoidance and offshore accounts

The government's role in the economy

Fact checks related to national economic programmes including leveling up, the New Deal and nationalisation

Transport

Fact checks related to transport, including public transport, airport expansion, HS2, rail fares and ticket prices

Universal Credit

Fact checks around claims made and misinformation about the Universal Credit programme

Welfare

Fact checks related to the welfare of the country, the welfare state, state spending, poverty and pensions