Main content

Has Donald Trump ended seven 'unendable' wars?

President Trump’s peace deals, Labour’s GDP claim, global cancer risk and university league tables.

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:

US President Donald Trump claims he has ended seven “unendable” wars. Is that true?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 for the first six months of 2025. What do you need to know about that stat?

The Daily Mail has described a recent scientific paper as describing a global cancer “explosion”. Is that the whole story?

And why have Oxford and Cambridge dropped down a university league table?

If you’ve seen a number you think we should take a look at, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon

Available now

28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 1 Oct 2025 09:00
  • Thu 2 Oct 2025 05:04
  • Fri 3 Oct 2025 16:30

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

OU Connect: Meet the unexpected figures that have influenced modern statistical research.

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

ѿý Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to the More or Less Podcast or download individual episodes.