UK Stats Authority accuses Sunak of undermining trust in Government with claim to have ‘reduced debt’

• UK Statistics Authority Chair, Sir Robert Chote criticises Rishi Sunak for his claim to have ‘reduced debt’.

• Stats watchdog warns the PM may have ‘undermined trust’ in the Government over his misleading claims.

• The Liberal Democrats have accused the PM of reaching “for the Boris Johnson playbook”.

The UK Statistics Authority Chair, Sir Robert Chote, has criticised Rishi Sunak’s claims that debt is falling as a percentage of GDP, saying that the PM’s comments have ‘undermined trust’.

Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP, had written to the UKSA regarding claims made by the Prime Minister in Parliament that his Government had ‘reduced debt’, in addition to a video posted on X where he stated that ‘debt is falling’.

In response to the letter, Sir Robert Chote noted that ‘The average person in the street would… likely have assumed that he was claiming that debt was already falling or that the Government’s policy decisions had lowered it at the fiscal events – neither of which is the case.’

The UKSA Chair added that ‘this has clearly been a source of confusion and may have undermined trust in the Government's use of statistics and quantitative analysis in this area.’

Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP said:

“Rishi Sunak knows he has no good story to tell on the UK economy so he has resorted to making one up. The least this no-growth Prime Minister could do is be honest about it with the British public.

“Instead, he has reached for the Boris Johnson playbook and is undermining trust in politics. This is desperate stuff from a desperate Prime Minister and it is right that he has been called out on it.

“Rather than using smoke and mirrors to cover up his own failings, Rishi Sunak needs to come forward with a real strategy to rebuild the economy after the Conservative Party crashed it.” 

ENDS

Notes to Editor

The letter sent to the UKSA from Sarah Olney MP can be seen here. 

The letter response from UK Statistics Authority Chair, Sir Robert Chote, can be found here.