For the second evening running, BBC News has stated that welfare spending is £258bn. This figure bears no resemblance to the ones regularly published in the Benefit Expenditure Tables: the figure used in Wednesday’s budget (table B6) was £213.9bn for the year cited and £216.6bn for the current year. Those totals include personal tax credits. Where did the BBC get their figures from?
I guess the Black Budget has to be hidden somewhere…