Andy Burnham ‘failing families’ as data shows 40% rise in food prices, says SNP

The Independent reports an SNP attack on Andy Burnham over food prices, built on House of Commons Library figures the SNP commissioned. It attributes the political charge to the SNP in the headline and body, says who commissioned the analysis and prints the government's reply. Its one weakness is that it never says when Burnham took office, so a reader cannot tell how much of the six-year rise the SNP is pinning on him actually happened on his watch.

1. Uses figures that mislead

   Minor

   “as new data shows food prices have risen almost 40% in six years”

   Why this matters

   The Independent sets a six-year figure, "almost 40% in six years", directly beside the SNP's charge that Andy Burnham is "failing families", and gives no date for when his government began.

   The impression it gives

   A reader comes away thinking the near 40% rise in food prices happened under Burnham, and that it is the measure of his record.

   The context

   The Commons Library window runs from September 2020 to September 2026, and the SNP blames the rises on Burnham's "watch". The article never says when he took office, so the reader cannot judge how much of the 39.6% falls in his time and how much came before.

   How we know

   • Elsewhere in the article“in the six years from September 2020 to September 2026”
   • Elsewhere in the article“on his watch every major household bill has increased”
   • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “took office”.