Tony Thompson

Specialist Journalist

Tony joined Full Fact in May 2022. He previously worked as the Crime Correspondent of The Observer and News Editor of Time Out. He is the author of 11 non-fiction books.

1 June 2026

Achieved

Government Tracker

Has the government introduced its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee?

By Joshua Salisbury and Tony Thompson • 3 mins

Full Fact looks at Labour’s pledge on neighbourhood policing. Read

Gov Tracker

23 March 2026

Appears off track

Government Tracker

Is the government on course to fix an additional million potholes in England each year?

By Tony Thompson • 4 mins

Full Fact looks at whether Labour is on track to meet its manifesto pledge on road maintenance. Read

Gov Tracker

9 March 2026

Wait and see

Government Tracker

Is the government on course to raise confidence in the police to ‘its highest levels’?

By Tony Thompson • 3 mins

Full Fact looks at Labour’s manifesto pledge to increase confidence in the police. Read

Gov Tracker

20 February 2026

In progress

Government Tracker

Is the government on course to introduce a network of ‘Young Futures hubs’?

By Tony Thompson • 2 mins

Full Fact looks at Labour’s pledge to introduce a network of hubs as part of its flagship youth crime initiative. Read

Gov Tracker

6 February 2026

Politics

How much is the UK spending on the Chagos deal?

By Tony Thompson and Hannah Smith • 6 mins

The government claims the Chagos Islands agreement will cost £3.4 billion, but the Conservatives say the “true cost” is £35 billion. Read

Analysis

15 January 2026

Culture & Society

How accurate are crowd counts at large events?

By Tony Thompson • 7 mins

Technology has made the process of assessing crowd sizes easier, but large numbers cited by organisers are often overestimates. Read

Analysis

28 November 2025

Shopping

Primark isn’t giving away hampers to people to celebrate its birthday

By Tony Thompson • 2 mins

Primark is not celebrating its 50th or 60th birthday, and the retailer’s confirmed it is not running a hamper promotion linked to any anniversary. Read

Fact checks

18 November 2025

Politics

Minister makes misleading comparison on prison capacity

By Tony Thompson • 5 mins

Housing secretary Steve Reed MP’s claim about prison building under the Conservatives and Labour isn’t a like-for-like comparison, as it mixes up net and gross figures. Read

Fact checks

12 November 2025

Politics

Deputy PM corrects the record after military homes error during PMQs

By Tony Thompson • 1 min

We are pleased to report that deputy prime minister David Lammy MP has published a ministerial correction after being contacted by Full Fact about an error he made during Prime … Read

Analysis

22 October 2025

Immigration

Have 35,000 people been ‘detained and removed’ from the UK under Labour?

By Tony Thompson • 2 mins

The home secretary claimed the government has detained and removed 35,000 people, but the majority left the UK voluntarily. Read

Fact checks