As the referendum on Britain’s place in the European Union draws nearer, both the Leave and Remain campaigns are flinging facts and statistics around with abandon. But which can we actually trust?
George Osborne claims that public services such as health and education could face £36bn of cuts as a result of a vote to leave. But he has come under fire from Brexit campaigners who have questioned the Treasury’s calculations.
Tory MP John Redwood described the forecast as “completely worthless” and Stewart Jackson, Conservative MP for Peterborough, mocked the chancellor by producing a fake report written on the back of an envelope.
Claims made by those backing a Brexit have prompted similar disputes. Labour MP Gisela Stuart – chair of Vote Leave campaign – says that health tourism costs UK £700m a year; a claim that has been dubbed “hugely misleading” by those on the Remain side.
So when it comes to the referendum, what is the truth? We want you to help us to check. Does a piece of data sound suspicious? Do you have evidence to prove statistics are being misused? Help us sort the facts from the fiction by filling in the form below.
