Why We Can’t Trust the UK’s Economic Data

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In this video, we’re going to have a look into exactly what’s gone wrong at the ONS, and what the impact this has (and is having) on wider society.

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SOURCES

Britain’s Statistical Scandal FT
https://www.ft.com/content/c046be2c-5496-4e2c-b243-580224e9a459

The Litany of Failures in UK Statistics Must Stop FT
https://www.ft.com/content/8184fb54-77e8-4a5d-9de8-16b650d6780c

UK Statistics Authority to Step Down FT
https://www.ft.com/content/d02f764b-5e7b-4309-b8b6-2197186ccec1

Troubles UK Statistics Agency Warns of Errors The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/21/troubled-uk-statistics-agency-warns-of-errors-in-its-growth-figures

What’s Gone Wrong at the ONS and Why Does It Matter The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/23/ons-job-figures-labour-force-survey-data

Fears Grow Over Impact of ONS Data Reliability The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/22/fears-grow-over-impact-of-ons-data-reliability-on-rachel-reeves-budget

Just Five People Responded to ONS Labour Market Question The Times
https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/ons-uk-labour-market-survey-just-five-people-responded-one-question-8ggxcvr9b

ONS Blames Ring Doorbells for Dodgy Jobs Data The Spectator
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/revealed-ons-blames-ring-doorbells-for-dodgy-jobs-data/

What’s Gone Wrong at the ONS The Week
https://theweek.com/politics/whats-gone-wrong-at-the-ons-data-economic-activity

The ONS Must Change to Fix Its Data Problems IfG
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/office-national-statistics-fix-data-problems

UK Stats Agency to Publish Labor Data in Late 2026 Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-10/uk-statistics-body-aims-to-publish-new-labor-data-in-late-2026

Systemic Review of ONS Economic Statistics Office for Statistics Regulation
https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/systemic-review-of-ons-economic-statistics-interim-report/pages/13/