Call to curb 'dark hours' when statistics can be spun

MINISTERS and their advisers should be banned from seeing official statistics in advance to prevent the chance of them being spun, a watchdog has warned.

UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) chair Sir Michael Scholar said he was "alarmed" that 50 people across Whitehall had access to figures, such as the UK's inflation rate, 24 hours before official release.

In opposition, the Conservatives backed the UKSA's recommendation that the pre-release period should be reduced to a maximum of three hours to curb the available "dark hours".

But within weeks of taking power at last year's general election, it ruled out any cut.

Sir Michael told MPs that, even if the figures were not being manipulated to the government's ends, the very practice of allowing advance sight damaged public faith in the numbers.

He has regularly rebuked ministers, including Prime Minister David Cameron and ex-PM Gordon Brown, for using misleading figures and other breaches of statistics rules.