MP Justin Madders, Shadow Minister for Employment Rights, complains about inaccurate job statistics

An employment specialist has joined the chorus of critics who have hit out at the Prime Minister for citing false information to Parliament.

Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders, Shadow Minister for Employment Rights, made his complaint about inaccurate job statistics in a point of order in the House of Commons.

Addressing Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing, the Labour MP asked: “Are you aware of a letter from the UK Statistics Authority to the director of data science at 10 Downing Street regarding claims made by the Prime Minister that there are more people in work now than there were at the start of the pandemic?

“In the letter the UKSA points out that that claim is incorrect and there are in fact 600,000 fewer people in work than at the start of the pandemic.”

Mr Madders added: “I am mindful of what was said by Mr Speaker earlier and that accusations of deceit do not enhance the reputation of this place, but this claim has been made by the Prime Minister on November 24, December 15, January 5, January 12, January 19 and again today (February 2).

“I believe that the public have a right to expect what is said by the Prime Minister at the Dispatch Box to be truthful and accurate. Have you received any notification of an intention from the Prime Minister to correct the record?”

Ed Humpherson, director of the Office for Statistics Regulation, in a letter to 10 Downing Street, has said: "ONS [the Office for National Statistics] publishes data on the number of people in employment.

"The data for January-March 2020 estimate that 33.0m people were in employment compared with 32.4m people in employment for September-November 2021.

"It is therefore incorrect to state that there were more people in work at the end of this period than the start."

Eleanor Laing MP told the House Mr Madders was “absolutely right to say that it is important that statements made in this House are absolutely correct and true”.

She added: “As Mr Speaker has said many times from the Chair, and as those of us who occupy the Chair have repeated, the veracity or otherwise of statistics and the interpretation of statistics is the very stuff of political discourse and debate.”

But she said Mr Madders was right to ask questions and told the House: “ I am quite sure that he will find a way of asking those questions directly of Ministers…and if an error has been made inadvertently, I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench will note the points made…and his request for the matter to be looked at again will be referred to the appropriate Minister.

“There is of course a system for correcting errors and mis-statements, which Ministers and others can use if necessary.”

The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, has told MPs: “I remind the House that I am not responsible for Members’ contributions and will seek not to intervene unless something is said that is disorderly.”

He added: “I want to see more compassionate, reasonable politics in this House…I want a nicer Parliament and the only way we can get a nicer Parliament is by being more honourable in the debates that we have.

“Please let us show each other respect as well as tolerance going forward.”

That was especially the case, said Sir Lindsay, “in view of the guidance of Erskine May [often referred to as 'the Bible of parliamentary procedure'] about good temper and moderation being the characteristics of parliamentary debate.”