State IntegrityReceipts, not verdicts

This week's fact check

Charlie Dewhirst on the national debt, 29 October 2026

Charlie Dewhirst said: “Under this Government, the national debt has surged through the £3 trillion mark for the first time ever.” This page repeats what Office for National Statistics reports.

Charlie Dewhirst · week of 2026-11-02 · updated 3 Nov 2026, 01:45 UTC

How we check

Receipts, not verdicts

  1. We quote the statementWord for word, with where and when it was said.
  2. We set the record beside itThe official figure, from the body that publishes it.
  3. We keep a receiptAn archived copy of every source, and a dated note if a figure is revised.

Read this week's check

Start with what matters to you

Find your way into the record

Pick where you're coming from: your area, your vote, your money, your public services, the wider world, your studies or your reporting.

Where I live

Your council, MP, police force and NHS, and who holds power over your area.

Voters

What your MP does, how Parliament votes, and who funds the parties.

Household money

Prices, pay, tax and benefits, from the bodies that publish them.

Public services

How the NHS, police and water companies near you perform.

World and global power

Every country, and the bodies above national governments.

Students and teachers

Plain answers, definitions and a classroom pack.

Journalists and researchers

Release days, open data, sources and every correction.

The 10 levels of power

Who decides what, from your street to the G20

How the ten levels fit together

Level 10 of 10

G7, G20, Davos and global forums

Meetings where leaders, ministers and business meet outside treaty bodies.

Level 9 of 10

The IMF, World Bank and global finance

The lenders to governments.

Level 8 of 10

The UN and global treaty bodies

Bodies set up by treaty between countries worldwide.

Level 7 of 10

Regional blocs and supranational bodies

Groups of countries that pool some decisions.

Level 6 of 10

National government

Sovereign parliaments, presidents, prime ministers, cabinets, supreme courts, central banks and national regulators.

Level 5 of 10

Devolved and state governments

Governments below the nation but above local councils.

Level 4 of 10

County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors

The level above the local council.

Level 3 of 10

Local councils

City, district, borough and unitary councils, and their mayors, run most day-to-day public services.

Level 2 of 10

Parish, town and community councils

The first tier of elected government.

Level 1 of 10

Neighbourhood and community power

The smallest units of power.

World leaders now

From the UN Protocol list dated 15 October 2026. All 192 countries' leaders.

Live from official sources

The UK's key figures

All 60 key figures

Explore the record

Every part of public life, with its sources

Thousands of pages of official figures, set out by subject and by place, each linked to the body that publishes it.

Levels of power

Who decides what, from your street to the UN, the IMF and the G20.

World

Every country's official record, and how the UK compares.

Fact checks

Statements by people in power, set beside the official record.

Economy and money

Inflation, jobs, pay, prices, taxes and public money.

Public services

NHS, police, water and the departments that run them.

Parliament and politics

MPs, votes, bills, elections and party money.

Places

From your council and constituency up to your region, the UK and every country.

Data and tools

Release days, open data, sources and tools to use them.

Fact checks

Earlier subjects

All subjects
  • Richard Tice on prison cells and foreign national prisoners, 13 October 2026

    Richard Tice said: “There are some 4,000 empty cells that require maintenance and refurbishment, and 10,000 cells are occupied by overseas nationals.” This page repeats what Ministry of Justice reports.

    Richard Tice · week of 2026-10-23
  • Miatta Fahnbulleh on the Warm Home Discount, 13 October 2026

    Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “That means £150 for 6 million of our lowest-earning households.” This page repeats what GOV.UK and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero report.

    Miatta Fahnbulleh · week of 2026-10-23
  • Pat McFadden on the new State Pension, 13 October 2026

    Pat McFadden said: “Keeping that promise means that this year the full new state pension is rising by £575.” This page repeats what Department for Work and Pensions reports.

    Pat McFadden · week of 2026-10-23
  • Liz Saville Roberts on VAT for hospitality, PMQs 9 September 2026

    Liz Saville Roberts said: “Supporting businesses like Yr Heliwr is key for economic growth in coastal areas, but they are held back by a 20% VAT rate; in France, Spain and Italy, hospitality pays just 10%.” This page repeats what HM Revenue and Customs reports.

    Liz Saville Roberts · week of 2026-10-23
  • Andy Burnham on GDP growth, PMQs 2 September 2026

    Andy Burnham said: “In the first half of this year, we have had the fastest growth in the G7.” This page repeats what Office for National Statistics reports.

    Andy Burnham · week of 2026-10-23
  • Andy Burnham on social housing and waiting lists, 1 September 2026

    Andy Burnham said: “we have a public housing stock that has 1.5 million fewer homes than in the ’80s and ’90s, and we now have 1.5 million people on housing waiting lists up and down the country.” This page repeats what Ministry of Housing reports.

    Andy Burnham · week of 2026-10-23
  • Keir Starmer on net migration, small boats and asylum, PMQs 15 July 2026

    Keir Starmer said: “I am pleased that net migration is down 82%, small boat crossings are down 40%, the asylum backlog is down, we are closing asylum hotels and we deported 70,000 people with no right to be here.” This page repeats what Office for National Statistics and Home Office report.

    Keir Starmer · week of 2026-10-23

Questions

What is State Integrity?

State Integrity is a UK fact-check site that sets statements by people and organisations in power beside what the official record says. It quotes official statistics, Parliament, courts, regulators and inquiries word for word, links to an archived copy of every source, and gives no verdict of its own.

How do I ask for a statement to be fact-checked?

Use the request box on the home page. Paste the statement, say who made it and where, and add a link if you have one. Requests are anonymous. The editor shortlists requests, readers vote on the shortlist, and one subject is published each week.

Why doesn't State Integrity say whether a claim is true or false?

The site repeats the official record and leaves the judgement to the reader. Each page shows the statement and the official figures that bear on it, with a receipt for every source, so you can see exactly what each source says.

How often is the site updated?

A new subject is published each week. Figures linked to official statistics are re-checked several times a day, and when a source revises a number the page updates automatically with a dated note.

Latest official news

All official news · Archive

How we work

We repeat what the official record says

Official sources only

Every figure comes from the body that publishes it, such as the ONS, the Bank of England or a government department.

A receipt for every number

Each source links to the original and, in our fact checks, to an archived copy that can't be changed.

No verdicts

We don't call anyone a liar. We set what was said beside the record and let you read both.

Corrections in public

When a figure is revised, the page updates with a dated note. Every change is listed on corrections.

Request a check

Request a fact check

Seen a statement from someone in power, a company, a government body or any authority? Send it in. Each week one statement is set beside the official record.

We read every request. Shortlisted ones go to a public vote, and the most-voted is checked first.

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