Health
Study doesn’t show masks cause 53% drop in Covid risk
The Guardian and others claim mask-wearing cuts the risk of Covid by 53%. 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.
Health
Health doesn’t account for 40% of day-to-day public spending
Health accounts for around 20% of day-to-day public spending, not 40%. Read
Fact checks
Environment
Scotland’s electricity consumption isn’t 100% renewable
Scotland produces renewable electricity equivalent to its annual consumption, but some of this is exported. In 2020, 56% of the electricity consumed in Scotland came from renewable sources. Read
Fact checks
Health
Study linking sleep time and heart disease risk shows correlation not causation
The Mail reported that a new study shows going to bed between 10pm and 11pm cuts your risk of heart disease. The study found a link between the two but not causation. Read
Fact checks
Health
Covid-19 hospitalisations are below last year, not 14 times higher as NHS CEO claimed
NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard claimed the number of people with Covid-19 in hospitals is 14x higher than last year. She was comparing data from August 2021 and August 2020. Read
Fact checks
Health
Why are media outlets reporting the Covid epidemic is escalating?
In recent days, CNN and Sky News have claimed the epidemic is growing, despite falling daily case numbers. Read
Fact checks
BBC presenter corrects false claim about Owen Paterson vote
BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt claimed a vote on whether to suspend Owen Paterson for breaches of the MPs Code of Conduct was a ‘free vote’. It wasn’t. It was subject to a three-line whip. Read
Fact checks
Europe
Did the French PM really ask for the EU to ‘punish’ the UK over Brexit?
Claims the French PM wrote to the EU President asking the EU to punish the UK for Brexit have been controversial. We look at what his letter actually said. Read
Fact checks
Health
293 ‘daily’ Covid deaths likely cover more than one day after technical issue
293 Covid-19 deaths were reported on 2 November, in part because a technical issue meant death recording was delayed over the weekend. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Was the Chancellor right on the Budget increasing departmental spending by the most this century?
The Chancellor announced departmental spending during this Parliament would increase by the largest amount this century. Our calculations show spending increased more each year from 2001-2005. Read
Fact checks
