Dear Sir Ian, I write concerning comments made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the morning of 7th March, during an interview on Good Morning Britain. The Chancellor said: “By the way on social care, in my first autumn statement I put up the budget by nearly 40%, nearly £5 billion.” I wish to […]
Dear Sir Robert, I am writing to raise concerns about misleading statistical claims made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, in relation to the tax burden on the British people. In his Budget speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday 6th March, Mr Hunt claimed that “today… a Conservative Government brings down […]
Dear Dame Angela, Thank you for your correspondence regarding comments made by Treasury ministers on changes in personal taxation. Specifically, you expressed concern that: On 8 January 2024, Bim Afolami MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, stated on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme that “taxes are coming down”, adding that for “an average earner […]
Dear Mr Murray, Thank you for your correspondence regarding recent official communications from HM Treasury on changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) this year. You expressed concern about posts by @HMTreasury on X that referred to the average employee on a £35,400 salary saving £450 a year from the cut to NICs taking effect on […]
Dear Mr Carmichael, Thank you for your letter of 3 January regarding claims by the Government to have delivered on its 2022 commitment to clear a backlog of asylum claims. As you noted, the Prime Minister posted on X on 2 January: “I said that this government would clear the backlog of asylum decisions by […]
Dear Mr Kinnock, Thank you for your letter dated 4 January in which you raised concerns about statements that the government has cleared the backlog of asylum claims. Today I have responded to Alistair Carmichael MP, who raised similar concerns to the UK Statistics Authority on 3 January. Please find a copy enclosed. Yours sincerely, […]
Dear Mr Bailey, Thank you for your letter regarding the claim made by the Shadow Chancellor, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, in her response to the Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023, that: “The economy is now forecast to be £40 billion smaller by 2027 than the Chancellor said back in March.” [1] The […]
Dear Sir Robert, I am writing to you regarding the use of statistics in recent communications from HM Treasury regarding personal taxes. On 6 January, HM Treasury issued communications stating someone on an average earnings would be £450 better off as a result of government tax cuts. This communication presented only a partial account of […]
Dear Sir Robert I am writing to you in relation to the government’s publication this week of ad-hoc statistics on the Home Office’s handling of asylum cases, and statements to the media by members of the government about these statistics. As you will be aware, both the Prime Minister and Home Secretary have made claims […]
Dear Sir Robert, I am writing to raise concerns about the misrepresentation of asylum backlog figures by the Prime Minister on social media. On 2nd January, Rishi Sunak wrote on X that “I said that this government would clear the backlog of asylum decisions by the end of 2023. That’s exactly what we’ve done.” As […]