Dear Ms Olney, Thank you for your letter regarding recent statements by the Prime Minister about changes in public sector debt. As you note, the Prime Minister said that “debt is falling” in a video posted on social media following the King’s Speech on 7 November and that “we have indeed reduced debt” at Prime […]
Dear Sir Robert, I’m writing to raise concerns over recent comments made in Parliament by the Shadow Chancellor, the Rt Hon. Rachel Reeves MP. I think we can all agree that the proper use of statistics in public life is essential to trust in our politics. As a result, I am deeply concerned with the […]
Dear Sir Robert, I am writing to raise concerns about the misrepresentation of official public finance statistics by the Prime Minister in Parliament and on social media. At Prime Minister’s Questions on 22nd November, Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons: “we have indeed reduced debt.” However, the latest Public Sector Finances bulletin, published by […]
Dear Mr Kinnock, Thank you for your letter of 15 June. You raised concerns about the use of asylum backlog statistics by Ministers and the definition of the asylum backlog. You gave two examples of statements made recently by Ministers: On 8 March, the Prime Minister said the asylum backlog had reduced by 6,000. On […]
Correction 29/06/23: On 16 June, Sir Robert Chote wrote to Munira Wilson MP in response to concerns about claims made by the Mayor of London regarding vehicle compliance with the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in Outer London. In our letter, we stated that we were satisfied that the Mayor’s claim is consistent with the data […]
Dear Sir Robert, I write, with some regret, to raise fresh concerns about Ministers’ use of official statistics on the asylum backlog. These concerns are related to, but separate from, the issues raised late last year in my letter to you and in your helpful and informative response. Firstly, on Monday of this week, the […]
Dear Mr Carmichael, Thank you for your letter of 10 March about the Home Secretary’s use of statistics on displaced people. In a statement to the House of Commons she said “there are 100 million people around the world who could qualify for protection under our current laws. Let us be clear: they are coming […]
Dear Sir Robert, Misleading Government Social Media Content I am writing to raise concerns over statistics used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the state of the public finances which I believe to be inaccurate and misleading. Recently, the Chancellor has made misleading claims on public debt figures through his Twitter account. On 25 […]
Dear Ms Thornberry, Thank you for your letters regarding the use of statistics on crime and policing by Ministers. You asked about a statement the Prime Minister made on 22 March about crime. You also asked about an interview in which the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire discussed police recruitment. The Prime Minister said […]
Dear Sir Robert, I am sorry to keep pestering you, and my apologies if you are on holiday at present and not picking up these messages, but I really must protest about the continuing repetition by government ministers of misleading statements on levels of crime, which reached a fresh nadir this morning. Interviewed on Good […]