Joseph O’Leary

Training Manager

Joe has been fact checking UK politics and policy for over a decade, having joined the team in 2011. He has delivered training in fact checking to civil servants, statisticians, journalists and businesses, both in the UK and internationally, as well as designing accredited courses in data analysis for the FE sector. Joe also enjoys teaching critical thinking in primary and secondary schools, and regularly gives talks to journalism students. He is now designing courses to help businesses and employees use data with more confidence.

21 May 2020

Immigration

It’s likely that over 100,000 people have entered the UK since the lockdown began

By Joseph O’Leary • 3 mins

Government estimates on arrivals are opaque, but recent figures suggest 100,000 is an underestimate. Read

Fact checks

19 May 2020

These patents are not for the new coronavirus or its vaccine

By Joseph O’Leary • 2 mins

The patents are for other forms of coronavirus and show no evidence Covid-19 was manufactured. Read

Fact checks

15 May 2020

Economy, Business & Finance

Claims about who’s paid by the state aren’t very meaningful

By Joseph O’Leary and Abbas Panjwani • 5 mins

People can be supported by the state in lots of ways, by employment, benefits or pensions. Read

Fact checks

5 May 2020

There’s no evidence immigrants caused a PPE shipment to be destroyed at Dover

By Joseph O’Leary • 1 min

The Home Office says these claims are totally false. Read

Fact checks

1 May 2020

Economy, Business & Finance

The government hasn’t provided evidence for its claim that 15,000 arrive per day into the UK

By Joseph O’Leary • 4 mins

Claims from the Health Secretary that 15,000 passengers are still arriving in the UK per day during the coronavirus lockdown haven’t been backed up. Read

Fact checks

24 January 2020

Health

Alex Cunningham and Boris Johnson both used the wrong figures about health inequality

By Leo Benedictus • 4 mins

Most men in Stockton live much longer than men in Ethiopia, but one ward is far worse off, and the gap in UK life expectancy is widening. Read

Fact checks

23 January 2020

HS2 isn’t expected to cost as much as this post claims

By Joseph O’Leary • 4 mins

The latest estimates have put the cost of HS2 at around £106 billion, which is lower than has been claimed recently online. Read

Fact checks

23 January 2020

The UK’s adverts watchdog has banned a misleading advert about 5G

By Joseph O’Leary • 3 mins

The Advertising Standards Authority banned an advert which made unsubstantiated claims about the health impacts of 5G. Read

Fact checks

17 January 2020

Crime

It’s very unlikely that fewer knife offenders are facing jail

By Joseph O’Leary • 3 mins

Claims from Labour about knife crime sentencing aren’t comparing like-with-like. Read

Fact checks

15 January 2020

Immigration

Migration drives the majority of UK population growth—exactly how much is debatable

By Joseph O’Leary • 2 mins

Migration to and from the UK has directly accounted for about 60% of UK population growth since the turn of the century, or higher if you try to count the children of immigrant parents as well. Read

Fact checks