More or Less: Behind the Stats BBC Radio 4

The UK Prime Minister has announced several changes to key policies designed to help Britain reach net zero by 2050. In a major speech justifying what many see as a watering down of commitments, Rishi Sunak championed Britain’s achievements to date in cutting emissions. But where does the UK actually stand compared to other countries? Tim Harford talks to Hannah Ritchie from Our World in Data and author of “Not the End of the World”.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Nathan Gower, Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: James Beard

(Photo: Smoke rising out of chimneys at Ratcliffe on Soar power station
Credit: David Jones / PA)

NHS consultants in England are striking over a pay offer of 6%. We look at whether they are paid an average of £120,000 a year and examine how much their pay compared to inflation has fallen. Also we fact check some of the claims Rishi Sunak made in his net zero speech, ask whether Britain is really that bad at building infrastructure compared to other countries and investigate the real levels of cancellations at Scotland and the UK's largest ferry company, Calmac.

After a listener emailed More or Less to ask whether world famous Venice or the slightly less famous English city of Birmingham has more canals, Daniel Gordon decided to investigate and widen the question to the whole world – with some interesting answers.

Guests: Giovanni Giusto, Venice City Councillor
David Edwards-May, Inland Waterways International
Dr Hamed Samir, University of Basra
Bai Lee, Editor of China Grand Canal

Presenter/Producer: Daniel Gordon
Series Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: David Crackles

(Picture: Gondola in Venice
Credit: Jane Worthy/BBC)

Long: Housing minister Rachel Maclean claimed the government has built a record number of social rent homes. Tim and the team investigate. Following Lucy Letby’s conviction, we look at how sentences for murder have changed over the past few decades. Plus after Liz Truss’s speech this week defending her short stint as Prime Minister, Tim reminds us how her mini-budget raised borrowing costs and might have pushed up the national debt even more. And will 1 in 11 workers in England really work for the NHS by the middle of the next decade?

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Producers: Daniel Gordon, Natasha Fernandes, Nathan Gower, Charlotte McDonald,
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

How can we navigate our lives in a more efficient and satisfactory way? It’s a question Professor David Sumpter is looking to answer in his new book, Four Ways of Thinking. He talks to Tim Harford about four different approaches to our day to day challenges.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Sound Engineer: Andy Fell
Editor: Richard Vadon

(Picture: Conceptual illustration of mathematics
Credit: Science Photo Library / Getty)

A BBC report quoted a study that said 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women in the UK will get skin cancer in their lifetime. Tim Harford and the team look into the detail. Also London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan said London’s average rent will hit £2,700 a month next year, with the average take home salary £2,131. How accurate are the figures and what do they tell us about the affordability of the capital’s rental properties? We fact check Donald Trump’s recent claim that 35,000 Americans died building the Panama Canal. And as noughties band Busted re-release Year 3000 with the Jonas Brothers, just how many greats should be in front of “granddaughter” in that famous lyric?