FactCheck: dodgy claims of 2010
As the year comes to an end, we round up 10 of the dodgiest and daftest political utterances of the year – as debunked by Channel 4 News FactCheck with Cathy Newman.
Brown gets defensive about budgets
“The defence budget has been rising every year…. The only time the defence budget has been cut was in the 10 years before 1997.″
Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister’s Questions, 10 March 2010
Gordon Brown had to correct himself both in parliament, and in evidence he gave to the Chilcot inquiry. Real-terms defence spending (once inflation is taken into account) was 10 per cent higher in 2010 than in 1997, but the year by year figures show the defence budget fell four times while Labour was in power.
Cameron’s Lexus takes a wrong turn
“I went to a Hull police station the other day. They had five different police cars, and they were just about to buy a £73,000 Lexus.”
David Cameron MP, Leaders debate, 15 April 2010
The other day? Eight months ago, more like. The police weren’t about to buy a Lexus – they already had one. And it didn’t cost anywhere near £73,000, but closer to £50,000.
Not the greatest political shake up since 1832
“The biggest shake up of our democracy since 1832, when the Great Reform Act redrew the boundaries of British democracy, for the first time extending the franchise beyond the landed classes.”
Nick Clegg MP, speech on constitutional reform, 19 May 2010
Clegg might have had a point were he referring to the introduction of secret ballots, giving women the right to vote or even Labour’s devolution of power to Scotland and Wales in 1998. But he wasn’t, and his plans to scrap identity cards and introduce fixed-term parliaments couldn’t really hold a candle to the 19th-century reforms which extended the vote beyond the landed gentry and abolished the rotten boroughs.
A muddle over migration
“Some people talk as if net inward migration is rising. In fact, it is falling – down from 237,000 in 2007, to 163,000 in 2008, to provisional figures of 147,000 last year.”
Gordon Brown MP, podcast on immigration, 26 March 2010
On the eve of the election campaign, the PM mixed up two different sets of figures to paint a more flattering portrait of immigration trends. The statistics he used for 2009 are an under-estimate, because they don’t include all migrants. The figures he used for 2007 and 2008, however, do. The comparable figure for 2009 wasn’t available when FactCheck highlighted Brown’s migration muddle in the spring. But last month the ONS confirmed that net migration had in fact increased to 198,000 – the opposite of Brown’s claim.
Research from the wrong continent
“Children from poor homes hear 616 words spoken an hour, on average, compared to 2,153 words an hour in richer homes. By the age of three, that amounts to a cumulative gap of 30 million words.”
Nick Clegg MP, “Putting a Premium on Fairness” speech, 15 October 2010
It was a speech about fairness in Britain today – so you might expect the above statistic to refer to the experience of children in this country in the past decade or so. But no: FactCheck established it was drawn from research on a sample of just 42 children, in the 1980s, in the USA.
Dodgy crime statistics
“Violent crime almost doubled under the last government.”
David Cameron MP, prime minister’s questions, 7 July 2010
The claim is based purely on one set of crime figures, which don’t take into account changes in the way offences are counted by the police. The more reliable set of figures for comparing long-term trends show violent crime has gone down, not up. Cameron was slapped down by the statistics watchdog for selective use of the figures. And as his shadow home secretary had already been ticked off for the same statistical shenanigan, he really had no excuse.
Fees fiction
“All the part-time students and the demonstrators wouldn’t pay any upfront fees whatsoever.”
Nick Clegg MP, speaking to broadcasters, 9 December 2010
On the morning of the crucial vote on top-up fees, the Lib Dem leader talked up the last-ditch sweeteners, including the scrapping of upfront fees to part-time students. But contrary to his claim, only two thirds of part-time students were eligible for new fee loans – leaving 100,000 still saddled with stumping up the cash for their tuition.
Leaky talk on flood defences
“We protected flood defences because that is important.”
David Cameron MP, Prime Minister’s Questions, 17 November 2010
As heavy rains led to evacuations in Cornwall, the PM stood up in Westminster and denied that spending on flood defences had been cut. But the numbers showed an 11 per cent cut in the flood defence spend over the next four years – less of a cut than that made by some other departments, but a cut nonetheless.
Sure start, unsure future
“Sure Start services will be protected in cash terms, and the programme will be refocused on its original purpose.”
George Osborne MP, Spending Review statement, 20 October 2010
When he set out £81bn of spending cuts in October, George Osborne was clear that in cash terms - before inflation is taken into account - spending on the country’s network of Sure Start centres would be protected. But just weeks later, he announced the programme would have to take its chances alongside an array of other projects, and that the overall funding was being cut.
A stellar beer price?
“I think if what you’re trying to do is stop supermarkets from selling 20 tins of Stella for a fiver that’s what we’ve got to go after.”
David Cameron MP, interview with Manchester Evening News about a ban on cheap alcohol, 11 August 2010
Is there really such a good deal to be had on Stella? FactCheck got on the (beer) case, but found no evidence that the reassuringly expensive stuff could be bought as cheaply as the PM suggested. Although there’s nothing to stop a supermarket from selling it dirt cheap, our extensive pub crawl up and down the aisles couldn’t find such a bargain.
- Agree with our verdicts? Think we’ve missed a whopper? Let us know by leaving a comment below or emailing factcheck@channel4.com.
- Related reading: dodgy claims of 2009
There are 11 comments on this post
What of the long awaited “Freedom Bill”? Two years post Marper and illegal retention of innocent folks DNA still has not been deleted. There must be transparency in this as there is no longer any faith in a corrupt, mendacious police.
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We are being numbed intotolerating acceptable whoppers. It is all Clinton’s fault.
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Keep at it in 2011! It continues to amaze me that politicians are prepared to tell such bare-faced lies and use misleading or selective statistics. I’m sure politicians would be more respected if they told the truth & gave us the facts, however unhelpful sometimes. Also when you’ve told lies in order to get yourself elected, the basis of your mandate is corrupt. That’s why people have been so annoyed with Clegg about students’ tuition fees. I just wish Fact Check got much wider publicity
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thanks for the fact checking and please keep up the great work.
may 2011 be a biggest buttons ever year for you cathy. have you considered using dustbin lids?
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Hope you are suitably refreshed by Christmas. I think it is going to be a very busy year for you as the coalition tries to spin its way out of even more messes.
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Reading through the Fact File…conclusion: don’t believe anything what polititians tell you. We are living now in an age where those lies can be found out. Puts you off politics for good!
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Keep up the good work kathy. Its all a matter of perspective which tint of lens you view the world I am afraid our democracy is a bit of a delusion. Statistics do help us all calculate better. The more you know the more horrified you become recently read a book about crude oil by peter maass – shocking we need to rename the American military the oil protection service. (It uses as much oil per day as Sweden) Keep investigating Kathy the more people know the better. We all need to use less oil. Our whole civilisation depends on the black stuff. Will look forward to seeing you on TV next year. Pete Miller Bristolian Activist
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It is a sad situation when the country is so distrustful of the people we have to rely on to lead us. Where half- truths are dressed up as facts and figures quoted are correct but are out of date and don’t even refer to our own country. Perhaps when a statement is made the sources and research has to be published as well so that we the public can make our minds up as to how relevant it is or how old the detail. We need to have out trust restored and to carry on with the charade that each party is going to be more open, honest and factual than the last administration only diminishes our trust even further. I think that Channel four have done a really good job in highlighting the inconsistences and long may they do so. Well done Cathy and your team.
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Great work – pity its not in ROI – and other countries . The nerve of politicins is astounding – just cherry picking facts from some survey done – maybe anywhere . Why do people vote for them – or should people vote at all?? . Is there any point – when we get results like this . Cameron say 2011 will be tough – for him !!!!!. And good to hear that someone involved in the Expenses scandal got a Knighthood- Im sure he deserved it .So we are near in 2011 – I see nothing to cleebrate . The ordinary people in most ” western ” countries were taken to cleaners in 2010 – and that will continue in 2011. It was a good yyear for the Rich in 2010 and Im sure will be even better in 2011. Tomorrow is just another day and another year . Celebrate – yes celebrate – when there is real democracy prevalent in the so called western world – if and when that day dawns – Fine . . The Rich rule on – and their empolyeees do as they are told – and the common people put up with – so maybe we deserve to be treated like rubbish .
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Happy New Year Cathy! Keep up the good work and thanks for cutting thru this year’s guff!
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Keep up the good work in 2011 – hopefully (do pigs fly?), politicians will be more careful this year before spouting forth. rather than put me off politics, it is these mis-truths that spur me on. Some politicians are good eggs, it is just a pity that all cannot or will not be.
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