Environment
How energy intensive is a Google search?
It’s really hard to say exactly how energy intensive a Google search is, but a recent Sunday Times article overestimated the figure. Read
Fact checks
Abbas Panjwani
Fact Checker (former)
Abbas joined Full Fact in 2018. Before this, he worked as a social researcher, collecting quantitative and qualitative research to help inform policy development and evaluation for government departments and other public bodies. Most recently he worked as research manager at Ofgem, Great Britain’s energy regulator, and has also worked on projects for BIS, the Home Office and the Competition and Markets Authority.
Europe
The Telegraph’s poll figures on suspending parliament are misleading
The Telegraph claimed a majority of people support the suspension of parliament. The figure was in fact 44%. There are other problems with this poll. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Government uses bad measure of wage growth, again
Average wages for GB employees grew around 2% in the last year in real terms, which isn’t the fastest in a decade. Read
Fact checks
Was William Wilberforce a Tory?
Abolitionist William Wilberforce was an independent MP, not a Tory MP, though he was fairly loyal to the Tory Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger. Read
Fact checks
Europe
What’s a free port, and does the EU have them?
Free ports (areas within countries where import tariffs don’t apply) exist within the EU, but in a more limited form than elsewhere in the world. Read
Fact checks
Europe
Lamb exports to Japan aren’t due to EU trade deal
It’s incorrect to say we can only export lamb to Japan because of the EU-Japan trade deal. It’s because Japan lifted a ban on lamb imports from the UK. Read
Fact checks
You almost certainly won’t get arrested for flying a British flag
A viral post claims flying terrorist flags is legal but flying the British flag isn’t. This is incorrect. Read
Fact checks
This Guardian quiz on Boris Johnson is meaningless
A recent Guardian quiz on Boris Johnson attracted over 70,000 responses. The respondents were not representative of Guardian readers or the public. Read
Fact checks
Europe
Boris Johnson’s kipper claim is a red herring
Boris Johnson claimed that EU regulation required kipper sellers to pack kippers in ice. This is not an EU regulation – it is UK regulation. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
How much more difficult is it to buy a home?
Jeremy Hunt said since the mid-90s house prices have gone up threefold while incomes of people in their twenties has gone up 20%. That underestimates income growth. Read
Fact checks
