Flashpoints The claims about crime and migrants under scrutiny

Several politicians have got into hot water for promoting and repeating misleading data in recent months, particularly about migration and crime.

- Eleni Courea Adam Bychawski Jessica Elgot

There have been calls for the government and police to be more transparent about the figures to tackle misinformation. Here are some high-profile claims that have been disputed or debunked.

Conservative Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said on Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that 40% of sexual crimes in London last year were committed by foreign nationals. The claim came from the Centre of Migration Control (CMC), a thinktank that describes its purpose as "controlling and reducing migration to Britain". CMC's claims come from the Metropolitan police's response to a freedom of information request. The Met issued a breakdown of the number of people who had been proceeded against - brought before a court - for sexual offences by nationality. This does not mean they've been found guilty of committing the offence as Jenrick said. For example, there were 14,242 defendants brought to court for sexual offences at magistrates' courts in England and Wales 2024, but 8,098 convictions, according to Ministry of Justice statistics.