how I check the facts
Every number has a source
A site that asks you to trust its numbers should show its working. This is the working.
Every number links to a primary source
Official statistics, the regulator, the central bank, GOV.UK or the company's own report. Never a screenshot, never a social media post.
News articles are for context only
Newspapers help me find stories. The number on this page always comes from the original release, not from an article about it.
Checked on a date you can see
Each issue shows the date its facts were checked. If a source is updated later, that date tells you how old the check is.
Corrections are public
If I get something wrong, the fix is listed on that issue with the date, and on the corrections log. Nothing is quietly edited.
before an issue goes out
The checklist
- 1.
Find the primary source for every number: the release, the statement, the report. Not an article about it.
- 2.
Copy the number from the source, not from memory, and paste the link under the story.
- 3.
Read the number's label twice. 3.1% CPI and 3.3% CPIH are different things.
- 4.
Compare with last month or last year so the story can say which way it moved.
- 5.
Set the 'checked' date to today. If a source changes after publication, the date shows how old the check is.
- 6.
If anything turns out wrong, add a correction to that issue. It shows on the issue and on this page.
where the numbers come from
Primary sources
- Office for National Statistics Inflation, jobs, wages, GDP. The numbers everyone else quotes.
- Bank of England Bank Rate decisions, the inflation target and the Monetary Policy Report.
- Office for Budget Responsibility The independent forecasts behind every Budget.
- Financial Conduct Authority The rules banks, apps and buy-now-pay-later lenders must follow.
- HM Treasury Budgets, tax changes and new financial laws, straight from the department.
- Financial Ombudsman Service Where complaints about banks and lenders go, and what it decides.
- MoneyHelper Government-backed, free guidance on everyday money. No selling.
- FTSE Russell Who runs the FTSE 100 and what is actually in it.
- UCAS University application dates and deadlines.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The US markets regulator, for stories about US shares.
- S&P Dow Jones Indices SPIVA: how professional fund managers do against the index.
collected automatically
Sources cited in the issues
14 distinct pages so far. If a link breaks, tell me and I will replace it.
- Bank of England · The outlook for inflation, speech by Clare Lombardelli, 24 September 2026
- Bank of England · Effective interest rates, August 2026: sight deposits 1.65%
- Bank of England · Further details about effective interest rates data: what counts as a sight deposit and a time deposit
- Bank of England · The 2% inflation target
- Bank of England · Bank Rate, the latest decision and the date of the next one
- Bank of England · Inflation and interest rates FAQs: why the Bank changes Bank Rate
- Bank of England · Official Bank Rate history
- Bank of England · Effective interest rates, July 2026: sight deposits 1.65%, new time deposits 4.21%
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero · Weekly road fuel prices, 2018 to 2026 (CSV)
- Financial Conduct Authority · Firms crack down on money mules, 23 September 2026
- Financial Conduct Authority · What the rules mean for you, including what is not covered
- Financial Conduct Authority · New protections confirmed for buy-now-pay-later borrowers
- Office for National Statistics · Consumer price inflation, August 2026 bulletin
- Office for National Statistics · Public sector finances, August 2026, Figure 4: borrowing so far this year against the OBR forecast
in public
Corrections log
No corrections so far. When there is one, it will be listed here with the date and the issue it belongs to.
Spotted a mistake? Tell me on LinkedIn. I will check it against the source and correct it publicly.