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27 September 2010

Was there a 'Brain Drain' under Thatcher?

With Vince Cable announcing planned cuts to Higher Education budgets earlier this month, the outlook for the UK's universities has been under some discussion. But is the Chair of a …

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20 September 2010

How big is the state-private school attainment gap?

Education Secretary Michael Gove today cited evidence presented in a John Humphrys documentary back at the BBC presenter on this morning's Today programme, suggesting that Britain had the widest gap …

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16 September 2010

Do workers really earn more in the public sector?

The publication of an Office for National Statistics report earlier this week has been hailed as evidence that workers earn more in the public sector than the private sector by …

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15 September 2010

Is the UK's defence budget exceptional?

The scope and speed of the government's strategic defence review has drawn criticism from MPs and army personnel. But some say in defence of cuts that the UK's military expenditure …

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14 September 2010

How many special needs children are misdiagnosed?

Coverage of today's Ofsted report into pupils with special educational needs (SEN) contains a number of contradictory media claims about the number of children who are potentially misdiagnosed as having …

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14 September 2010

Do tobacco display bans cut teen smoking?

Debates over tobacco regulation are always divisive, and the government's pending decision over whether to go ahead with cigarette display bans is no exception. Anti-smoking campaigners have claimed that evidence …

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9 September 2010

Workless household statistics: The Mail gets it wrong

Several papers have seized on the latest figures on workless households, but when Full Fact inspected the reports, we found several dubious uses of the statistics.

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3 September 2010

Debts and deficits: are Ed Balls' economic claims sound?

Labour Leadership hopeful Ed Balls used a slot on this morning's Today programme to attack the Coalition Government's deficit reduction proposals. But in making his defence of the previous administration's …

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11 August 2010

Has benefit fraud been halved under Labour?

David Cameron's plans to clamp down on fraudulent benefit claims received a wide airing in this morning's press. Labour's Shadow Welfare Reform Minister Lord Knight has argued that the previous …

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10 August 2010

One in one out regulation: Will it add up?

How much does regulation cost businesses in the UK? Looking at the figures, this seems tantamount to asking the length of a piece of red tape. Yet, as the Government …

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3 August 2010

Which voters abandoned Labour in 2010?

Labour leadership contender Ed Balls today attempts to bust the 'myth' that his party needs to chase middle income voters, and should focus on attracting lower earners. Full Fact takes …

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30 July 2010

Do bank lending statistics give a clear picture?

Full Fact's investigation into small business credit conditions yesterday has caused something of a stir. While our conclusion suggested that though there had been only a small reduction in net …

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