UK Borrowing Hits £116.8B Ahead of Crucial Budget

Britain is on track to borrow billions more than expected this fiscal year, highlighting mounting pressures on public finances as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares a pivotal budget.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the deficit for the first seven months of 2025-26 reached £116.8 billion — nearly £10 billion above March’s forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Borrowing in October alone hit £17.4 billion, marking the third-highest October total on record.

The overshoot underscores the challenges facing the government. Investment spending is running below projections, suggesting difficulties in delivering key projects aimed at stimulating growth. To bridge the gap, the government is expected to issue £9 billion more in gilts than initially planned, lifting total borrowing for the year to £308.1 billion — the highest since the 2021 pandemic-related borrowing spike.

Budget Pressure and Tax Measures

Chancellor Reeves is under pressure to address a £20 billion shortfall caused by slower productivity growth, higher borrowing costs, and policy U-turns. While a previous plan to raise income tax rates was abandoned after better-than-expected OBR forecasts, the chancellor now faces the need to raise as much as £30 billion from alternative sources. Measures could include extending the six-year freeze on tax thresholds and targeting wealth and property with smaller levies.

The situation is having tangible effects on the economy. Rising borrowing concerns are weighing on consumer spending and housing demand, potentially undermining the growth targets set by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government. Bond markets remain jittery, with government debt now approaching the size of the UK economy itself.

With less than a week to go before the November 26 budget, the stakes could not be higher. Observers note that while bold action to stabilize finances could lower borrowing costs and reassure markets, a strategy relying on delayed adjustments and multiple small measures carries its own risks.

The latest figures paint a clear picture: Reeves’ upcoming budget will be a crucial test of the government’s ability to manage public finances without unsettling markets or the wider economy.