Dear Mr Cartlidge, Thank you for your letter of 3 June, which raised concerns about a post published on the official Wales Office account on X, which stated that the government has delivered a £270 billion increase in defence spending over the course of this Parliament. You highlight that the outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously made […]
Dear Mrs Badenoch, As Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, I am writing on behalf of the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the regulatory arm of the Authority. OSR promotes and safeguards the appropriate use of statistics in public debate and considers concerns raised with the Authority where there is a risk that statistics may […]
Dear Sir, COMPLAINT: MISLEADING USE OF STATISTICS BY THE WALES OFFICE – CLAIM THAT DEFENCE SPENDING HAS INREASED BY £270 BILLION I am writing to draw your attention to a post published on the official Wales Office account on X which contains a materially misleading statistical claim (X, Wales Office, 29 May 2026). The Wales […]
Dear Mr Logan, Thank you for your letter of 28 April regarding recent references to NHS planned care waiting times made in Parliament. We are aware of the statements you have highlighted and recognise the concern you raise about comparisons of waiting times between Scotland and England, particularly where figures are presented without appropriate context. […]
Dear Mr Wilkinson, Thank you for your letter regarding comments by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood MP, in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research on 5 March 2026 in which she said: “We will address the challenge posed by the impending settlement of the hundreds of thousands […]
Dear Mrs Badenoch, As Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, I am writing on behalf of the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the regulatory arm of the Authority. OSR promotes and safeguards the appropriate use of statistics in public debate and considers concerns raised with the Authority where there is a risk that statistics may […]
Dear Penny Young, I am writing to alert you to the use of statistics on NHS Scotland waiting times as related to the NHS in England by Labour Ministers which may be erroneous or misleading. I understand that UK Government Ministers have already been informed by the UK Statistics Authority of the potential risks to […]
On 5th March, the Home Secretary claimed in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research that “we will see a £10 billion pound drain on our public finances” if the settlement of the hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers and their dependents is not prevented. The Home Office also published a research note, […]
Dear Mr Logan, Thank you for your email of 5 September to the Acting National Statistician regarding comments by the former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that drew comparisons between England and Scotland’s water industry regulation. I respond on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority’s Regulation Committee, which oversees the independent […]
Dear Ms Morgan, Thank you for your letter regarding the Government’s claim of delivering 3.6 million additional NHS appointments in the first eight months of its term. The OSR has verified the accuracy of the figure of 3.6 million additional elective appointments based on official statistics produced by NHS England, compared to the same period […]