The Battle for Number 10: Factchecked

30 May 2017 | Katie Craig

On Monday 29th May,  the Full Fact team live factchecked the ‘May vs. Corbyn’ interviews by Sky News and Channel 4.  We checked out the claims made by both the Conservative Party leader Theresa May and the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, as they faced questions from the studio audience. It was moderated by Sky’s political editor Faisal Islam and both leaders were then interviewed by Jeremy Paxman.  

The show lasted 90-minutes in total.

Jeremy Corbyn went first:

In all the major areas, we brought you the facts, starting with Labour’s pledge on police numbers:

“My point was we need more police not less that’s why we pledge to provide 10,000 more police on our streets” - Jeremy Corbyn

“This manifesto investing for the future, taxing more, a bit, corporation tax and for the very wealthy,  95% will pay no more” - Jeremy Corbyn

“Or you can go down the road of continuing austerity, continuing cuts in all areas of public expenditure and an ever widening gap between the richest and the poorest in our society” - Jeremy Corbyn

“You won’t give a number but the current net figure is 248,000. Higher? Lower?” - Faisal Islam

“I’ve said we will protect the rights of EU nationals here and we want the same for British nationals across Europe.”

“This manifesto is about investing in our future.  It is about investing in our young people for the future, so we don’t have supersize classrooms “  - Jeremy Corbyn

“We will defend working rights such as Working Time Directive, paternal leave, maternity leave, all those very important things we gain from the European Union.” - Jeremy Corbyn

“Corporation tax was 28% in 2010. This government has reduced it and proposes to reduce it further.  We’re going to put it back up to 26% and why are we doing that?  Because this country is badly divided between the richest and the poorest .  You put corporate tax and tax at the top end down, the division gets greater.” - Jeremy Corbyn

As always we’re so thankful for the support everyone gives us throughout our work, encouragement like your tweets are what make us want to factcheck.

“A ten pound an hour minimum wage, living wage, a real living wage by 2020 would mean we actually spend probably a bit less of working tax credit.” - Jeremy Corbyn

“All of us don’t want to live in a country of food banks” - Jeremy Corbyn

“What we would do is pay what we are legally required to do.  There will have to be an agreement on trade access now it’s not a one-way street.” - Jeremy Corbyn

“If people hadn’t migrated to this country, we would have a much worse health service, education system and transport system than we have.” - Jeremy Corbyn

“We will stop the undercutting that goes on by importation of low paid worker. There will be migration managed necessary to sustain our economy.” - Jeremy Corbyn

“You cannot go on overcrowding our classrooms…” - Jeremy Corbyn

Then it was the Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, Theresa May’s turn.

“In counter terrorism policing we have protected the budgets and we are currently protecting police budgets.”  - Theresa May

“But crime is changing.  The sort of job that police officers need to do is changing.  That’s why we are also putting money into things like cyber crime, because that’s today’s world.” - Theresa May

“It’s about ensuring that nobody is going to have to lose their house to pay for care in their lifetime.” - Theresa May

“I think it’s important that we see a fair way of funding our schools.  What we’re committed to is ensuring that as we introduce that schools won’t see any cash reduction in their level of funding. “ - Theresa May

“In ten years time, there will be 2 million more people aged over seventy-five” - Theresa May

“If we don’t address the issue of our social care system now it is going to collapse.” - Theresa May

“We will take people’s views on where the cap should be and I think that’s a fairer way to do it” - Theresa May

“I think it’s important that we see a fair way of funding our schools.  What we’re committed to is ensuring that as we introduce that schools won’t see any cash reduction in their level of funding.“  - Theresa May

“We’ll be spending half a trillion pounds in total on the National Health Service but what we do need is to make sure that money is being spent well of course, so we are increasing the funding into the Health Service and will increase funding into the health service in the future.” - Theresa May

“If you have a social care system which relies on taxing those just about managing higher at a higher level, that’s not helping them.  What we’re doing is putting forward a proposal which means that people don’t have to sell their house in their lifetime to pay for care.  It means they can pass on savings to their children.” - Theresa May

Again, we’re so grateful for the compliments…

“If you have a social care system which relies on taxing those just about managing higher at a higher level, that’s not helping them.”  - Theresa May

“What we saw in immigration figures was it started to come down and they did go up and now they’re starting to come down again.” - Theresa May

Full Fact are factchecking all the live TV debates during this election campaign.

We also have two Facebook Live Q&A sessions, one yesterday evening on Brexit and immigration and next Tuesday 6th June on health and the economy, so tune in to the Press Association’s UK Politics page and comment with your questions when we go live.

As always we need your help to continue holding politicians and the media to account, especially during such an important time as this election. Please help us continue to give you the facts, by donating to our crowdfunder.

We’re your election source for impartial, independent facts.

#GE17 and The Nuffield Foundation

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