Emma Thelwell

The grim news that a “slow, painful contraction” is expected in the jobs market was met with defiance by the DWP. “We always said that the road to recovery would be tough – there is a long way to go until before we deal with all the economic challenges ahead particularly given the crisis in the Eurozone,” a spokesman said. The problem is, said the Department, the message isn’t getting through that despite the gloom, there are jobs out there. In fact, there are 10,000 new jobs advertised every day at the Jobcentre, they insisted.

After Theresa May’s catgate, you would think MP’s might tread more carefully on the thorny issue of immigration. Less than a month ago Ms May was complaining that all too often foreign criminals are allowed to stay in the UK – and for the most ludicrous reasons. Yet today, immigration minister Damian Green said the government is removing foreign criminals quicker than ever. So what’s it to be – are they staying or going?

A little Twitter spat popped up during Prime Minister’s Questions today between Ed Balls’ right hand man and the Conservative Press Headquarters. Both repeated well-worn mantras from their parties, prompting FactCheck to wonder if there was anything new to note.

Michael Gove rejects the image of kids taking classes under “leaky roofs”. In fact, he claims the government is spending more over the next four years than Labour did in its first two parliaments.

Rebel Tory MPs are defying their party to call for a referendum on the UK’s European Union membership. And according to John Redwood, the “overwhelming majority” of the British public is up in arms about it too.But Mr Redwood’s comment rang rather hollow with one of our Twitter followers, Jamie Robertson, who asked us to check it out.

It’s very strange. Most politicians reckon that once bitten by FactCheck, twice shy. Not so the PM. We’ve caught him out on his boast on private sector jobs before but today he was at it again. He claimed half a million more private sector jobs were created since the election. He’s wrong, and here’s why.

David Cameron argued today that there are 50,000 more women in work than the time of the election, but Mr Miliband maintains that things haven’t been this bad since the Conservatives were last in government. Who’s right?

Revolting peers have landed their first blows on Andrew Lansley. Today they’re starting a marathon two-day debate on the health and social care bill, and the government is worried. The Department of Health has hit back with a “mythbusting” dossier. Will it succeed? Over to the team.

Metal theft has caused at least six deaths, 50 injuries, 60 fires and – a contender for stat of the year here – a total of 673 days of train delays in the last three years. But unless personally blighted by it – as Jon Snow was over the weekend – you’d be forgiven for being oblivious to the problem. Graham Jones, MP for Hyndburn in Lancashire, says it was the “constant concerns” of his wife and son – who both work for Electricity North West – that brought it to his attention. He is not alone in calling for a reform of the Metal Theft Act of 1964, which was slammed in the Lords last month for being “still legally in the age of Steptoe and Son”. But are we really dealing with a cable crime wave or has Mr Jones got his wires crossed? FactCheck dons its hard hat.

With the family purse-strings currently stretched to the limit, any extra pennies to help cover childcare costs are gratefully received. So today’s move from the government to pump £300m into the Child Tax Credit system, reaching 80,000 more families, sounds like great news – doesn’t it? FactCheck gets out its red marker pen.

Calling for sanity in the UK’s immigration system, Theresa May said the Human Rights Act “needs to go”. Listing ludicrous examples, she said one man was allowed to stay because he had a cat. But is there a whisker of truth to it? FactCheck gets its claws out.