FactCheck

The claim “Channel 4 FactCheck backs Ed Miliband over deficit” LabourList.org, January 7, 2010 Cathy Newman checks it out Er, not exactly. If you look at our analysis into the deficit, the FactCheck-ometer is pointing straight up – exactly between Fact and Fiction. That’s because, as I made clear in my verdict last night, while…

“If you look at the population and how much they spend, then VAT is progressive…Income tax and National Insurance would have a more damaging impact on poorer people in our society and it’s worth remembering that in the Budget I took substantial means to reduce the NI burden” Chancellor George Osborne MP, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme January 4, 2011

Ten of the dodgiest and daftest political utterances of the year – as debunked by Channel 4 News FactCheck with Cathy Newman.

The claim “My understanding is that the 15 per cent figure – that was quoted by the Shadow Home Secretary – is wrong, and that it is an interpretation of the House of Commons library figures rather than the House of Commons library figure.” Home Secretary Theresa May MP, Select Committee, December 14, 2010

The claim “Sure Start services will be protected in cash terms, and the programme will be refocused on its original purpose.” Chancellor George Osborne MP, Spending Review statement, October 20, 2010 Cathy Newman checks it out The chancellor couldn’t have been clearer. When he set out £81bn of spending cuts, George Osborne was clear that…

Nick Clegg tells reporters that no part-time students will have to pay tuition fees upfront. FactCheck with Cathy Newman finds otherwise.

The claim “If we look at… what will be saved by deleting either (the Tornado fighter jet or the Harrier fast jet), we are saving more by deleting Harrier than we would the other way round.” Nick Harvey MP, Radio 4, 9th November 2010 Cathy Newman checks it out As the Ark Royal makes its…

The claim “The list of problems that the Hon. Lady read out are overwhelmingly related to the difficulties in the transport system.” Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, House of Commons, 2 December 2010 Cathy Newman checks it out Labour dragged Philip Hammond to the Commons today to explain why much of the eastern part of Britain…

The claim “It’s going to be perfectly satisfactory to have the 250,000 tonnes (of salt) delivered progressively during the course of December and into early January.” Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, House of Commons debate, 2 December 2010 Cathy Newman checks it out We were supposed to have learnt the lessons from last year’s snow chaos,…

Lord Young hands in his resignation for his comments that people in the UK “have never had it so good ever since this recession – this so-called recession – started”. So how well off are we?

Justice Minister Crispin Blunt says the Coalition Government “made it clear from the outset that it would proceed with defendant anonymity in rape cases only if the evidence justifying it was clear and sound”, but the Coalition Agreement was more black and white on the issue.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith says there will be “no losers” as a result of changing to a Universal Credit when he presented his White Paper to the Commons today. Is he right?

Trading statistics was the order of the day when Douglas Alexander and Iain Duncan Smith went head to head in the Commons, but did the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions get his attack right?