Justin Tomlinson MP claims “positive economic news” demonstrated by “a staggering fall of 62.9 per cent” in unemployment.

It would indeed be staggering if it were true.

I’m sure Mr Tomlinson and I are of more or less equal ability when it comes to reading, so the problem is, where did he read those figures?

I read the figures provided by the Office of National Statistics, which says the following.

Of the population of Swindon aged between 16 and 64 in March 2010, 8.4 per cent were unemployed, equivalent to 9,400 people.

By September 2014 it was 5.6 per cent: 6,500 people.

That is a fall of 31 per cent. Does Mr Tomlinson realise that he doubled the figure?

Here’s a figure that Mr Tomlinson may find has more impact. In 2010 there was one food bank in Swindon. In 2015 there are three.

That is the kind of multiplication Mr Tomlinson should be explaining.

M Johnson Wootton Bassett