By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
A factual blunder by Catherine McKinnell, the UK’s newly appointed School Standards Minister, has sparked criticism after she mistakenly claimed on Sky News that “we’ve seen inflation coming down,” while the latest official data suggests the opposite.
The confusion, fact-checked by independent UK organization Full Fact, has now been acknowledged by the Department for Education, which clarified that Ms. McKinnell meant to refer to interest rates, not inflation.
However, the slip-up comes at a politically sensitive time, as the Labour government—elected in July 2024—has been under mounting scrutiny over its handling of the cost-of-living crisis. According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics, inflation (measured by the Consumer Price Index, or CPI) rose to 3.5% in April 2025, up from 2.2% when Labour came into office in July 2024.
Meanwhile, interest rates—often adjusted by the Bank of England to respond to inflation—have indeed dropped by one percentage point over the same period, potentially leading to the mix-up.
This is not the first time a UK official has confused inflation and interest rates in public comments. Earlier in 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Office Minister Seema Malhotra also misstated economic figures, incorrectly attributing an 11% figure to interest rates, when it actually referred to the peak of inflation under the previous Conservative government in 2022.
Full Fact has called on Ms. McKinnell to issue a public correction, stating:
“If an MP makes a false or misleading claim on broadcast media, they should take responsibility for ensuring it is appropriately corrected.”
At the time of this report, McKinnell had yet to respond publicly to the request.
As nations globally navigate inflationary pressures and rising living costs, accurate information from public officials is more important than ever. The British public—and indeed citizens around the world—deserve clarity, not confusion, especially on issues that affect their daily financial realities.
Newspot Nigeria will continue to monitor developments and ensure that our readers get the facts straight.
