‘Fiddling’ confession in memo

A confidential memo from 1984 shows that Margaret Thatcher’s government was officially “fiddling the figures”.

David Willetts – who is UKuniversitiesandscience minister today, and goes by the nickname “Two Brains” – made the admission in a report written while he was a policy adviser to the Tory prime minister.

A sub-heading in a letter he prepared during secret budget negotiations at the time read: Figures”.

Underneath, he explained: “Colleagues should recognise that the figures are already being fiddled to hold down the planning total.”

“Fiddling the