He moves on to authoritative, magical and contentious numbers, and throughout takes particular aim at figures used in the public domain.

ECONOMIST: Damned lies and statistics

Covers of Tragedy, by Steps, and You Should Be, by Blockster will be at numbers two and three, according to midweek sales figures.

BBC: News | Entertainment | Police arrest woman in Pitt's house

As home secretary, she has made political capital out of the chaos at the Passport Agency, the increase immigration figures and police numbers.

BBC: The rise of the virgin politician

There are about 300, 000 students from outside the European Union enrolled at courses at UK institutions and numbers rose 6% in 2010-11 - the last year for which official figures are available.

BBC: Graduates from a British university

Albanian community leaders say that these figures mask the true numbers of Kosovars and Albanians living here and that there are now at least 30, 000 of them.

ECONOMIST: Asylum