FactCheck

Playing down the meltdown at Heathrow’s border control earlier this week, Damian Green told MPs: “I stress to the House that our information shows that queuing times bore no resemblance to some of the wilder suggestions.” But with these “wilder suggestions” coming from the airlines and passengers themselves, it’s little wonder that British Airways’ chief executive Willie Walsh accused the minister was “misleading” the public over the extent of waiting times at passport control. Mr Walsh told Channel 4 News: “I think he was certainly misleading when he told people that the maximum queue was 90 minutes when we know it went well beyond that – and not just on one occasion.” Who’s right? FactCheck jets in.

Iain Duncan Smith may have said he wants to make work pay, but the department for work and pensions has been written to by its own cleaners who say they aren’t paid enough to live on. FactCheck looks at their demands for a “living wage”.

There have been tears, laughter, and the odd stray F-word. The London mayoral race has been high on emotion and more than usually bad-tempered. Boris Johnson has been slightly more careful with his facts, choosing to deal in aspirations rather than promises. Ken Livingstone has made some extravagant claims which have landed him in hot water. Here’s the verdict from FactCheck HQ on a very irritable election.

Is UKIP’s Nigel Farage right about immigrants snapping up all the social housing? “All you have to do now if you come from Eastern Europe, all you have to do is to get a national insurance number – which you can get easily within a fortnight – and then you qualify automatically for social housing,” he said. FactCheck investigates.

Did the Home Office ask the court when the deadline was? “Yes,” Mr Cameron replied.

As the bitter battle for London’s City Hall rumbles on, Ken Livingstone threw in an old claim about affordable housing. But was it a good one? Team Boris didn’t think so. Pinging an email through to FactCheck, Boris’ camp labelled Mr Livingstone’s statement as a “false claim”. They added: “The London Development Database reports that there were actually 2,240 affordable starts over the same six month figures (April and September 2011)”. Who’s right? FactCheck homes in.

“We can’t remember the last time the PM came out with two whoppers in one speech.”

“This is what the government means when it talks about ‘increased staffing levels’ – that the cut is not quite as deep as first envisaged.”

Earlier this month the Lib Dem HQ advertised its internship scheme for 2012 – FactCheck investigates how far it promotes “socially mobility”.

Which generation has been hit hardest by the government’s austerity measures? It is the question that has been at the top of the political agenda since the budget sparked accusations that the government was raiding pensioner’s pockets with a new Granny Tax. FactCheck investigates.

“The IPPR actually thinks the figures show the reverse of what Mr Grayling wants them to show.”

How many of UKIP’s manifesto pledges could Lawrence Webb actually force through it he was to become Mayor of London? FactCheck puts a selection to the test.

“The influence of the defence sector stretches far beyond those acknowledged military specialists and can be felt up and down the aisle of Mr Cameron’s jet.”

Is the Prime Minister right that 24 million people will be better off by £6.50 thanks to the change in personal tax allowance thresholds? FactCheck begs to differ.