FactCheck

Youth unemployment sailed past the million mark last week, and within days Nick Clegg has a billion pounds and a plan. The same thing happened in April 2009: youth unemployment hit an all-time high, and Labour rushed out the Future Jobs Fund, pledging a £1bn. But this time it’s different, says Mr Clegg – this time taxpayers will get value for money and the jobs will last longer. Is he right or is FactCheck having a déjà vu?

Danny Alexander claims his new public sector pensions deal is significantly more generous than the current deal. But has he got his numbers right? How generous is it? FactCheck investigates.

“The ‘jobs’ for young people would be similarly temporary in nature, FactCheck has learned. Although it sounds like a new idea, Labour aides told us that the £600m youth jobs fund will basically be a re-run of a highly controversial old policy…”

“These figures show just how much our economy is being affected by the crisis in the eurozone.” Chris Grayling, September 16 2011 The background The employment minister has pinned the blame for this week’s dire unemployment figures firmly on the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. We’ve already FactChecked the claim – increasing popular on the…

“Mr Clark told MPs that there were more than 50 occasions between May and July when fingerprint checking of non-EU nationals with visas was abandoned at Heathrow Airport. And Warnings Index checks for adults were suspended at Calais more than 100 times, MPs were told. The reason given for both of these situations was Mrs May’s old friend ‘elf and safety.”

“In fact, the figures show that the UK economy has barely been out of recession over the last year and there is no clear evidence of a recent change in trend.”

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.

“The big question is: how much did James Murdoch know back in 2008? Did he try to buy Mr Taylor’s silence in a bid to stop the whole story coming out?”

“In fact, it seems only a tiny minority of people who have already been dealt with by the courts have been ordered to don the famous orange vests. The precise number, according to London Probation Trust, is 15 in the capital.”

“The council swiftly admitted making an accounting error – to the tune of a staggering £6m.”

“As a Daily Mail poll showed that 77 per cent of Conservative Party members believe there should be a referendum on Britain’s continuing membership of the EU, Mr Clegg launched a defence of the economic benefits of staying in Europe.”

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?

“Only in America and Canada do employers enjoy a lighter regulatory burden, according to 21 measures of how easy and expensive it is for companies to lay off their staff.”

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.

“As well as banishing rectum-burgers into the culinary history books, the last government also earmarked £150 million of targeted funding between 2008 and 2011 to provide kitchens and dining rooms in schools with inadequate facilities.”