Fact Checker (former)
Health
A study which found that students’ anxiety levels were lower during the pandemic than in October 2019 was conducted among year 9 students in the south west of England. Read
Economy, Business & Finance
MP Zarah Sultana claimed that the super-rich and large corporations dodge £90 billion in tax every year. This is based on an estimate for the tax gap which is much higher than the official figure. Read
Health
Matt Hancock misspoke saying that 79.7% of close contacts of infected people are being reached by test and trace. Read
A viral Facebook post claims Spain had a much lower Covid-19 death toll than the UK at the end of July. That’s correct but isn’t the best way to compare the risk of getting Covid-19 in each country. Read
Health
By using a mean average, the results overstated what the average Brit thinks the death rate has been. Read
Health
PPE procurement is under scrutiny but claims that all these contracts were unfulfilled is not evidenced. Read
Health
A viral video claims surgical masks are “no good” as they don’t offer complete protection to the wearer. Evidence shows masks still have benefits. Read
Economy, Business & Finance
The Conservative London mayoral candidate claimed Sadiq Khan’s decision to raise the congestion charge was his own. It was essentially a requirement of a government bailout package. Read
Health
NHS staff survey data suggests the average respondent in 2019 worked around two hours unpaid overtime. Even this should be taken with a pinch of salt. Read
Misinformation claiming a malicious WhatsApp video called Dance of the Pope will install software and format your phone has been going viral since at least 2015. Read
