Cabinet Minister repeats Prime Minister's misleading claim that crime is falling - Liberal Democrats demand correction and apology in Parliament
Cabinent Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has this morning repeated dishonest comments made by Prime Minister Johnson claiming crime has fallen in the UK, when it has actually increased by 14%, on BBC's Sunday Morning Show. He said that the Prime Minister was right to say that crime has gone down, because "on the doorstep people are saying progress is being made." The Liberal Democrats accused the Business Secretary of having "doubled down on a blatant lie."
The UK Statistics Authority last week officially rebuked Boris Johnson and Priti Patel for misleadingly claiming that crime had fallen, following a letter of complaint by Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael. The misleading figures excluded fraud and computer stats which have soared by 47%, leading to an overall 14% rise in crime.
The Liberal Democrats have written to Prime Minister Johnson demanding that he come before Parliament as soon as possible to apologise and correct the misleading claim. Under the ministerial code, ministers who inadvertently fail to provide accurate information to Parliament must correct it at the earliest opportunity.
Liberal Democrats Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "The failure of Conservative ministers to stand up to Boris Johnson's dishonesty and lack of decency is doing huge damage to public trust. Instead of apologising for misleading the public over rising crime, Kwasi Kwarteng doubled down on this blatant lie.
"This is an insult to every victim of fraud crime. Instead of fighting their corner, this government is ignoring the plight of all those who have been cruelly robbed in their own homes and on their own devices.
"Given the prime minister is being investigated by the police about alleged crimes committed in Downing Street, it's perhaps not surprising he and his ministers are lying about crime falling across the country."
"Boris Johnson must come before Parliament as soon as possible to correct the record."
The figures used by Boris Johnson and Priti Patel claimed that crime has fallen by 14% in the year to June 2019 compared to the year to September 2021. These figures ignored fraud and computer misuse offences which have soared by 47%, leading to an overall 14% increase in crime over the same period.
This is Alistair Carmichael's letter to Boris Johnson
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to ask that you come before the House of Commons to make a statement apologising for and correcting your misleading claim that crime has fallen by 14%, when in fact it has risen by 14%.
On Monday 31st January, in your statement to the House on the Sue Gray investigation, you said "we have been cutting crime by 14%". As you will know, the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) has - in response to a complaint from me - made clear that your statement was misleading.
I refer to the letter I received from Sir David Norgrove, chair of UKSA. He states:
"the Prime Minister referred to a 14% reduction in crime, which is the change between the year ending September 2019 and the year ending September 2021. This figure also excludes fraud and computer misuse, though the Prime Minister did not make that clear.
If fraud and computer misuse are counted in total crime as they should be, total crime in fact increased by 14% between the year ending September 2019 and the year ending September 2021."
The Ministerial Code makes clear what should happen next. Paragraph 1.3(c) states:
"It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister".
I also refer you to paragraph 15.27 of Erskine May, which reads:
"The Commons may treat the making of a deliberately misleading statement as a contempt. In 1963, the House resolved that in making a personal statement which contained words which they later admitted not to be true, a former Member had been guilty of a grave contempt.
"In 2006, the Committee on Standards and Privileges concluded that a Minister who had inadvertently given a factually inaccurate answer in oral evidence to a select committee had not committed a contempt, but should have ensured that the transcript was corrected. The Committee recommended that they should apologise to the House for the error."
Tackling crime is a vitally important issue, and Cabinet Ministers should not mislead the public about it. It is crucial for public trust and understanding that official statistics are used accurately and not misrepresented.
Will you therefore please confirm that you will make a statement in the House of Commons at the earliest possible opportunity, apologising for misleading Parliament and correcting your statement to make clear that crime has risen by 14% over the last two years?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Alistair Carmichael MP
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson