Health
Are there 3.5 million vegans in the UK?
There are almost certainly not 3.5 million vegans in the UK. Half a million is a better estimate, although that’s from 2016 research. Read
Fact checks
Joël Reland
Fact checker (former)
Joël joined Full Fact in 2017 as an intern. He researched and wrote fact checks. He previously worked for Policy in Practice, analysing the impact of the transition to Universal Credit on local authorities, and for the polling and research consultancy Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. He has a BA in History from the University of Cambridge, and an MSc in International Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh.
Europe
Would extending the Brexit transition period cost £15 billion?
We can’t know for sure, but £15 billion a year seems a reasonable estimate for now. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Water rip-off? Are water bills up 40% since privatisation?
Water bills rose sharply after privatisation in 1989 but have been falling slightly in recent years, due to regulatory oversight. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Budget 2018: three things we learned
What does the 2018 budget mean for austerity, income tax, and taxes on digital companies? Read
Analysis
Europe
What is Labour’s policy on the customs union and single market?
Labour wants to be outside the customs union and single market after Brexit, but with similar levels of access as to now. The EU would almost certainly reject this without significant re-negotiation. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Has 86% of austerity fallen on women?
Since 2010, coalition and Conservative governments have aimed to reduce public spending through tax and benefit changes. 86% of those changes come from spending on women. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Universal Credit isn’t the reason there are 1,000 more people a day in work
There are over 3 million more people in employment since 2010, but employment tends to rise over time. There is no clear evidence on how many people Universal Credit has got into work. Read
Fact checks
Europe
What is the Irish backstop?
The “Irish backstop” is an insurance policy in UK-EU Brexit negotiations to ensure there is no hard border in Ireland. Read
Analysis
Education
The government should stop saying there are 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools
The government’s claim about more children in good or outstanding schools doesn’t acknowledge the impact of rising pupil numbers, and that many schools haven’t been inspected since 2010. Read
Fact checks
Education
Government school spending figures: correct but misleading
Spending per pupil in England fell by 8% in real terms from 2009/10 to 2017/18, and will be held constant from 2017/18 to 2019/20. UK education spending was about average among OECD countries in 2015. Read
Fact checks
