Jobless figures not all they seem..

Michael Meacher has accused the Government of “fiddling” unemployment figures.

The Oldham West and Royton MP said the recent fall had left people questioning the numbers, given the continuing economic climate.

The Labour veteran said figures had been manipulated by eliminating claimants who had their benefits stopped — pushing the numbers down.

He said: “The Government has adopted the utterly dishonest practice of excluding from the claimant count all those persons who have been sanctioned. Thus the abrupt fall in the claimant count is explained by the scam of regarding all sanctioned persons as no longer seeking work, though they clearly are.

Benefits claimants can have their money stopped if they are late for an appointment, job interview or work programme session, among other things.

Their £71 a week Jobseekers’ Allowance is removed for four weeks for the first infringement, for three months for the second, and a year for the third.

Mr Meacher said: “There are now nearly a million people who have been subject to this inhumane practice of sanctioning.”