The UK's Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, faced criticism from the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) over claims he made about Labour's tax plans. Sunak had stated multiple times during a televised debate with Labour leader Keir Starmer that Labour's plan would lead to a £2,000 tax increase per working household. However, the OSR pointed out that this figure was a total over four years, which might not have been clear to listeners. Additionally, the top Treasury civil servant objected to the Conservatives presenting their accusations as if they were produced by impartial civil servants.
Following the debate, Sir Keir Starmer accused Sunak of lying about Labour's plans, asserting that Labour had no intention of raising taxes for working people. Sunak denied these accusations during an interview, stating that Labour was "rattled" by the exposure of their tax plans.
Both the Conservatives and Labour have pledged not to increase the rates of income tax, National Insurance, and VAT if they win the election. However, BBC Verify analyzed the Conservatives' £2,000 tax claim and concluded that it could mislead people.
The OSR issued a statement cautioning against the practice of presenting estimates summed over multiple years without proper clarification. This warning followed previous incidents, including claims about future increases in defense spending.
In an interview, Sunak denied being willing to lie to stay in power, emphasizing his attention to detail when it comes to numbers. However, the UK Statistics Authority chair, Sir Robert Chote, had previously warned political parties about transparently using statistics in public debate to enhance understanding without misleading the public.
Regarding another controversy, Sunak referred to the UK economy as "going gangbusters" based on comments from Grant Fitzner, the chief economist at the ONS. However, the ONS clarified that this comment was a passing reference and not indicative of the overall state of the economy.
Despite these controversies, the state of the UK economy remains a key focus in the general election campaign, with various parties outlining their plans to improve growth and productivity.
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