Kwasi Kwarteng has this morning repeated dishonest comments made by Boris 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 Boris 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 Democrat 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.”