The news

Fact checks about topical content and debate in UK news

18 April 2012

Help stop the BBC cutting off complaints — consultation closes today

Since the beginning of March this year the BBC Trust - which oversees the BBC's complaints process - has offered a public consultation on its website over its proposed changes …

Read more…
17 April 2012

Economist corrects the record over Government work experience

Last month Full Fact asked the Economist to correct one of its articles covering the Government's controversial work experience scheme. Jonathan Portes, Director of the National Institute of Economic and …

Read more…
16 April 2012

Are half of council homes given to migrants?

Housing waiting lists tend to be long, and reactions to today's headlines in the Mail and Star may have ranged from outraged to sceptical. But what do the figures behind …

Read more…
13 April 2012

Has cycling got safer under Boris Johnson?

London mayoral candidate Jenny Jones claims that cyclists are not safe in Boris's hands, saying the proportion of casualties per cycle trip has worsened since he came to power. But …

Read more…
13 April 2012

NHS night-time discharges: questions raised about Times report

This week, the Times reported on an 'NHS scandal' whereby patients were apparently being discharged from hospital in the middle of the night. 100 responses to Freedom of Information requests …

Read more…
13 April 2012

Charity donations: So much given to so many by so few?

In a week in which taxes on charity donations have dominated the political headlines, Full Fact looks into where the UK's charitable donations actually come from.

Read more…
12 April 2012

Has London household overcrowding increased by 15 per cent on Boris' watch?

Brian Paddick's manifesto, which was released on Tuesday, includes a pledge to build 360,000 new homes over the next decade. Yesterday he claimed that overcrowding in the capital's homes has …

Read more…
12 April 2012

The problem with calculating the number of child sex offences

Last week we factchecked the claim that in 2010/11 there were 23,097 victims of child sex offences in England and Wales, or as the papers put it, one 'attack' every …

Read more…
11 April 2012

Is the EU banning high heels for hairdressers?

Is the European Union about to put its foot down over footwear in hair salons? That was the suggestion in one Daily Mail article yesterday, which reported that: "Hairdressers will …

Read more…
10 April 2012

Have 1,000 people died after being found "fit for work"?

The Government's Work Capability Assessments (WCA) - used to judge an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant's eligibility for the benefit - has proved controversial since it was introduced in …

Read more…

Full Fact fights bad information

Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.