The government’s role in the economy

6 March 2024

Spring Budget 2024: fact checked

We take a look at some of the chancellor’s claims in the Spring Budget.

1 November 2022

UK Government doesn’t retain £50bn of Scottish taxes

Posts on social media overcount and double count Scottish revenues while undercounting Scottish expenditure.

22 September 2022

Health secretary’s claim on health spending fact checked

Dr Thérèse Coffey said health and social care account for 40% of government day-to-day spending. That’s only true if you don’t count spending on things like pensions.

26 August 2022

Labour’s £29 billion plan would not fully cover the cost of freezing the energy price cap

Freezing the price cap would require roughly £8 billion more funding, according to the IFS.

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16 August 2022

Labour’s energy price freeze: fact checked

There appear to be some errors in the calculations in Labour’s plan to freeze the energy price cap, which might mean that it isn’t “fully-funded” after all.

10 June 2022

Ofgem said that 12 million households—not people—might end up in fuel poverty

These estimates are uncertain for several reasons, but 12 million households would amount to many more than 12 million people.

24 May 2022

Was the Attorney General right to say that a single mother will be £1,600 better off?

Suella Braverman told the Question Time audience that a single mother in certain circumstances would be £1,600 better off this year compared with last year, because of government support.

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18 May 2022

Shadow cabinet member uses misleading £2,600 cost of living figure on BBC, ITV and Sky

The shadow justice secretary used an unreliable Labour estimate for the impact of the cost of living crisis. We have repeatedly asked Labour to stop using this number.

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4 May 2022

Keir Starmer’s GMB interview: fact checked

The Labour leader made claims about the UK’s economic growth and fraud during the pandemic.

21 April 2022

Labour election leaflets and ads wrongly claiming families are ‘£2,620 worse off’

The claim that families are ‘£2,620 worse off’ does not account for any rises in wages or benefits, and is based on some cost estimates which are not reliable.

Fact checks

Analysis

Policy & Impact

About

The government’s role in the economy

Spring Budget 2024: fact checked

UK Government doesn’t retain £50bn of Scottish taxes

Health secretary’s claim on health spending fact checked

Labour’s £29 billion plan would not fully cover the cost of freezing the energy price cap

Labour’s energy price freeze: fact checked

Ofgem said that 12 million households—not people—might end up in fuel poverty

Was the Attorney General right to say that a single mother will be £1,600 better off?

Shadow cabinet member uses misleading £2,600 cost of living figure on BBC, ITV and Sky

Keir Starmer’s GMB interview: fact checked

Labour election leaflets and ads wrongly claiming families are ‘£2,620 worse off’

Evidence you can rely on