Boris Johnson reiterated a discredited claim that more Britons are working than before the Covid pandemic – although he had previously accepted a correction by the statistical office.
The prime minister, dubbed “Pinocchio Prime Minister” on Wednesday, told the Commons that they were “more people at work than before the pandemic”.
This is the same statement that the UK Statistical Office had previously rebuked him for making it in Parliament, saying it was simply “wrong”.
Mr Johnson tried to use figures showing that there were hundreds of thousands more on wages than before the pandemic.
But the figures do not include the self-employed. The total number of British people – including the self-employed – is more than 500,000 lower than before the pandemic.
UKSA President Sir David Norgrove wrote to Mr Johnson earlier, saying that “it is not wrong to say that there are more people at work now than before the pandemic”.
Asked by the Municipal Liaison Committee last month whether he accepted Sir David’s correction, Mr Johnson said: “Yes, I understand.” salary. Speaking of. “
But Mr Johnson spoke again of “people at work”, without mentioning Wednesday’s salaries.
He told PMQ: “We will continue to deliver to the British, making sure we get rid of the problems Covid has left us… More people are working than before the pandemic.”
The Full Fact group replied: “The prime minister has just said it * again *. There are now * no * more people working than before the pandemic. There are half a million less. “
However, the Prime Minister used the distinction later in the PMQ when he said that there are “more than half a million people back to salaries [more] than it was before the pandemic. “
Mr Johnson and his ministers have made at least 27 false statements to parliament since the 2019 elections and have failed to correct them.
A recent investigation by The Independent, working with Full Fact, found that the prime minister made 17 of these statements.
None of the allegations have been officially corrected – a process required by the ministerial code. Will Moy, CEO of Full Fact, said it was a “crisis of dishonesty.”
On Wednesday, Labor released details of its attempt to investigate whether Mr Johnson misled parliament in his initial response to reports of Covid’s 10 violations.
Deputies will vote on Thursday on a proposal that, if passed, will direct him to the parliamentary committee on privileges to consider whether his behavior is disrespectful to municipalities.
The proposal – signed by the Westminster leaders of the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and the Alliance – highlights Mr Johnson’s comments in the municipalities on 1 December and 8 December, including an assurance that “all guidelines have been followed. № 10 ”.
Mr Johnson was named “Pinocchio Prime Minister” by SNP MP Richard Thomson at PMQs on Wednesday.
But Commons President Sir Lindsay Hoyle called on Thomson to withdraw the remark and “be more moderate” in his language.
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