Urban myths can be the bane of an MP’s life. If I got a penny every time I receive a letter telling me that asylum seekers are given cars or taxis to get them to the benefit office I would be a rich man. If I got another penny every time I get a letter from someone who needs help who signs it off by saying ‘if I was an asylum seeker I’d be given this’ then I could stop buying my weekly lottery ticket.

In case you believe these myths to be true, they are nonsense. Asylum seekers are given a very basic level of support if they have no money of their own while their case is heard. If they are found to be genuine refugees and are allowed to stay in the UK then they can access the same benefit arrangements as the rest of us and they are expected to find work, just like the rest of us. If they are not found to be genuine refugees then they are either held in detention centers or continue to receive a very basic level of support until they are deported.

Then there are the myths about the European Union. Contrary to popular opinion, Cucumbers do not have to be straight and nor do Bananas; Kent and the South East of England are not to be bundled into a Euro Region; we are not going to be made to drive on the right and miles per hour will not be replaced with kilometers per hour; and, last but not least, the Royal Navy is not to be controlled by the European Union and nor is any other branch of the UK armed forces. In fact, almost every allegation, comment and ‘euro-fact’ ever published in a UKIP or a Conservative election leaflet is bogus or misrepresented.

Then there are the myths about ‘health and safety’. Even the Financial Times had to take issue last week with the new Mayor of London who had written an article sneering at the importance of safety at work. It pointed out that nearly twice as many people died at work last year than were murdered in the whole country! One thousand, three hundred deaths every year is not a matter that anyone should take lightly.

And lastly, there are the myths about equality and discrimination in our society. When the Government published its plans last week for a new Equality Bill some people said it was not needed. If that is true then why are only 11% of company directors women? Why are only 8% of University Vice-Chancellors women? Why is the average pay of women across society so much lower than for men? And if age discrimination is not a problem why do so many people struggle to find work once they get beyond 50.

And, of course, the Conservatives have tried to start a new urban myth that an Equality Bill will be used to discriminate against white men when the reality is that all the Bill will do is make it legal for employers to increase diversity in their work force, if they want to, and white men will be able to use the new law too if they feel they are underrepresented in any walk of life.