Home USA Immigration Show us the evidence! Tory embroiled in row with statistics watchdog after claiming immigration makes house prices soar

Show us the evidence! Tory embroiled in row with statistics watchdog after claiming immigration makes house prices soar

by admin

Author: Dan Bloom

he Tory Housing Minister is embroiled in an embarrassing row with the official statistics watchdog after he claimed immigration has made house prices soar.

Dominic Raab dramatically declared migration has made prices rise “something like 20%” over the last 25 years.

But the statistics he used are not public – and it was claimed the body that drew them up has not even existed since 2010.

Now housing officials are set to publish data imminently after the UK Statistics Authority said it should be public.

Ed Humpherson, Head of the UK Statistics Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation said: “Where analysis is quoted in public debate, the UK Statistics Authority believes it is essential that it be made equally available to all.

“We have been speaking to officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the Minister’s statements on migration and housing.”

Mr Humpherson was expected to write a letter to the department but had not yet done so tonight.

The Housing Ministry confirmed an analysis is being prepared for publication amid “ongoing conversations” with the statistics watchdog.

The Ministry could not confirm when it will be published.

Mr Raab made his original claim in an interview with the Sunday Times.

He said: “Based on the ONS data, the advice to me from the department is that in the last 25 years we have seen immigration put house prices up by something like 20%.”

Specialists at Inside Housing claimed his figures were sourced from a quango that was scrapped eight years ago.

And the Full Fact website analysed his claim but said it could not reach a conclusion because the analysis was not public.

 

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/show-evidence-tory-embroiled-row-12351884

Related Articles