Jeremy Hunt intends to correct muddled numbers on botched surgeries

FACT CHECK

It’s very unlikely that fewer knife offenders are facing jail

New figures on sentencing for certain types of knife crime were released last week. This prompted the shadow home secretary Diane Abbott to criticise the government, saying that the number of offenders is rising while fewer offenders are going to jail.

The number of these offences that are dealt with in the criminal justice system is rising, but it’s probably not correct that fewer offenders are facing jail. In fact it’s highly likely that more are, and a greater proportion of offenders are.

Ms Abbott used figures that don’t show the full extent of prison sentences that offenders will face.

FACT CHECK

Limited evidence that lie detectors will be effective on terror offenders

This week the government announced that it wants to introduce lie detector tests into the probation system for convicted terrorists, sparking debate over their effectiveness.

Lie detection—or polygraph—tests are already used in England and Wales for certain sex offenders on parole, and are being trialled for other offences. They record people’s physiological reactions to questions, such as their blood pressure, heart rate and skin respiration. Some of these can be indicators of deception, but there’s no guarantee of that.

“A specific ‘lie response’ has never been demonstrated, and is unlikely to exist”, according to researchers at Newcastle University.

FACT CHECK

Also this week...

• President Obama does not plan to govern Kenya next
• Claim that 2,000 people have died waiting for benefits since a Universal Credit review was announced needs context
• Mixing baby oil and iodine won’t remove body hair
• This is not an official Extinction Rebellion sticker 
• Claims that Japan doesn't take in any refugees are false
• This Boris Johnson quote has been edited and taken out of context