Fact checks related to the welfare of the country, the welfare state, state spending, poverty and pensions
Economy, Business & Finance
It is not true that welfare payments have just exceeded income tax receipts “for the first time”. They’ve been higher for at least 16 years. Read
Economy, Business & Finance
Welfare spending, which includes state pensions, has been higher than income tax for at least 13 years, contrary to a claim in the Conservatives’ Alternative King’s Speech. Read
Immigration
Can asylum seekers claim benefits, use the NHS or get a free iPhone? We’ve answered some of the most common questions we see about the support given. Read
Politics
Our explainer looks at the different ways child poverty is measured, and the impact of the two-child benefit limit. Read
Economy, Business & Finance
The Prime Minister and others have claimed “welfare” or “social security” spending is set to increase to £70 billion by the end of the decade—but this figure refers to one part of overall spending. Read
The post makes incorrect claims, including that tax avoidance and evasion cost the UK 100 times more than benefit fraud. Read
There is no automatic exemption for all migrants, although some may be exempt or receive discounts for the same reasons as non-migrants. Read
These posts have been circulating since at least 2017, but contain claims that are either unevidenced or false. Read
Immigration
A post circulating on social media falsely claims that there are 1.6 million asylum seekers receiving “long term benefits”. Read
Health
Contrary to claims in the Telegraph, benefits claims for under-18s with autism and ADHD have not increased by 200,000 since Covid. Read
