A Cabinet minister today defended Boris Johnson’s “lie” that crime is falling - by dismissing a surge in fraud.
Kwasi Kwarteng suggested fraud was not a “day-to-day crime” that “people are talking about” after he admitted it was excluded from statements by the Prime Minister.
It comes despite Tory minister Lord Agnew quitting just days ago in protest at “schoolboy errors” in tackling Covid loan fraudsters.
Mr Kwarteng went on the defensive after the UK Statistics Authority wrote this week to Mr Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel, complaining about their use of crime data.
Boris Johnson was accused of misleading the House of Commons after he told MPs on Monday: “We have been cutting crime by 14%.”
In fact, said the UK Statistics Authority, the 14% figure only counts if you look at the the two-year period to September 2021 while excluding fraud and computer misuse.
If you include fraud and computer misuse, total crime actually rose by 14% in the same period.
The statistics watchdog said the Prime Minister “should be” using the full figures and the Home Office had presented them “in a misleading way”.
Yet Mr Kwarteng today told the BBC ’s Sunday Morning: “When people talk about crime, generally I think crime - fraud is really, really important - but people are talking also particularly about burglaries, about personal injury, about physical crimes.
“And I think in that context we’re seeing lower crimes. I think the prime minister was right.
“The point the prime minister was making is that the crime that people experience in their day to day lives, in terms of fraud, in terms of burglary - well not fraud, but in terms of burglary, in terms of physical injury has gone down. That’s absolutely right.”
Labour branded the interview a “car crash”.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Suggesting that fraud is a lesser crime not experienced by people in their day-to-day lives is shamefully out of touch and disrespectful to victims across the country, scammed by dangerous criminals and losing hard-earned life savings.
“Yet again the Conservatives are downgrading or ignoring criminal fraud - just as Rishi Sunak did when writing off £4.3bn of public money.
“Lord Agnew himself said it best - the Government has ‘little interest in the consequences of fraud to our society’.
“This chaotic and incompetent Government is a complete disgrace - they cannot be trusted to take seriously our safety and security.”
Labour MP and chairman of the Commons Committee on Standards Chris Bryant tweeted: "I can understand why Tories don't want people to think fraud counts as crime."
Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael 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."
