Highest September borrowing since 2020 and debt interest payments surge ahead of budget

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : We know that when you lose control of the public purse it's working people who pay the price.
50% : It left government borrowing in the financial year to date £7.2bn above forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
50% : The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) last week made a case for her to go further than she needed in terms of tax hikes on 26 November.
50% : She has consistently refused to break Labour's manifesto pledge that rules out increases to employee national insurance contributions, VAT or income tax.
45% : Ms Reeves had pledged, after her first major fiscal event raised taxes by £41bn, not to launch a repeat or borrow more but has since rowed back on that language somewhat on the grounds that the world has changed.
45% : The IFS said it could be best achieved through income tax increases, rather than wider tinkering that made the tax system even more complicated.
44% : Government borrowing hit its highest September level since 2020 last month, according to official figures showing a leap in debt interest payments to almost £10bn, The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported £20.2bn of borrowing last month despite a-near 9% rise in tax receipts compared to September 2024.
44% : The chancellor has blamed factors including Brexit and the impact of the US trade war.
37% : The extended build-up has been dominated by talk of which taxes are to rise in order to restore headroom against the rules Rachel Reeves has set herself amid talk of a black hole of up to £30bn.
36% : "We are cutting waste, improving efficiency and transforming our public services for the future - so that we can be rid of costly debt interest, instead putting that money into our NHS, schools and police.
35% : Money latest: 'Two big airlines wrecked my wheelchair - but neither is accepting responsibility' The data showed provisional spending of £90.7bn, with £9.7bn of that being used to service the cost of government debt following increases in the retail prices index measure of inflation.

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