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How much money is the UK government borrowing, and does it matter?

November 21, 2019
Updated June 21, 2024
Image source, Getty Images
The government generally spends more than it collects in taxes.
To fill this gap, it borrows money, but that money has to be repaid – with interest – and can influence broader tax and spending plans.
Why does the government borrow money?
The government obtains most of its revenue through taxes. For example, workers pay tax on income, everyone pays VAT on certain goods and companies pay taxes on their profits.
It could, in theory, cover all your expenses with taxes, and in some years it does.
But if it can’t, it will cover the gap by raising taxes, cutting spending or taking out loans.
Higher taxes mean people have less money to spend, so companies make less profit, which can be negative for jobs and wages. Lower profits also mean companies pay less tax.
Thus, governments often borrow to boost the economy. They also take out loans to pay for big projects – like new railways and roads – that they hope will help the economy.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Governments borrow to finance “day to day” spending as well as long-term infrastructure projects like Crossrail
How does the government borrow money?
The government borrows money by selling financial products called bonds.
A bond is a promise to pay money in the future. Most require the borrower to make regular interest payments over the life of the bond.
UK government bonds – known as “gilts” – are normally considered very safe, with little risk of the money not being repaid.
Gilts are mainly purchased by financial institutions in the UK and abroad, such as pension funds, investment trusts, banks and insurance companies.
How much is the UK government borrowing?
The amount the government borrows varies from month to month.
For example, when people file tax returns in January, they often pay a large portion of their annual tax bill at once, so the government sees a jump in the amount of money it receives.
Therefore, it is more useful to look at the entire year or year-to-date.
The total amount the government owes is called the national debt. It is currently around ÂŁ2.7 trillion.
This current level is more than double that observed since the 1980s until the 2008 financial crisis.
The combination of the financial crisis and the Covid pandemic has pushed UK debt from historic lows to its current level.
But relative to the size of the economy, the UK’s debt figures are still low compared to much of the last century, and also compared to some other leading economies.
How much money does the government pay in interest?
The higher the national debt, the more interest the government will have to pay.
This additional cost was not as large when interest rates owed were low during the 2010s, but it is more noticeable now that interest rates have been rising.
Around a quarter of the UK’s debt is indexed, meaning payments are directly linked to the rate of inflation. The increase in prices in the last two years has significantly increased the debt service bill.
If the government has to set aside more money to pay its debts, that could mean it has less to spend on the public services it borrowed to finance in the first place.
The most significant figures tracking the cost of debt are published monthly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
According to this data, two months of 2022 saw record levels of money set aside for debt interest: ÂŁ20.2 billion in June and ÂŁ18 billion in December.
The most recent figures from May 2024 revealed that interest on the public debt was ÂŁ8 billion.
What is the government’s debt plan?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reduced the national debt one of his five main promises and government finances are a key focus in the run-up to the general election.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt previously said the government will make “difficult but responsible” decisions about the public finances.
He previously blamed the “twin global emergencies of a pandemic and Putin’s war in Ukraine” for rising government costs.
The chancellor has set a target of reducing underlying debt within five years.
Labor also committed in its manifesto to respecting this fiscal rule.
The government’s official economic analyst, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has predicted that debt will fall as a percentage of the economy to 92.9% by 2028-29.
Why is it important for governments to borrow more?
Some economists worry that the government is borrowing too much, at too high a cost.
Others argue that additional debt helps the economy grow faster – generating more tax revenue in the long run.
It would fall to less than 3% of GDP by 2025-26, complying with one of the financial rules that the government decided to establish.
But the OBR has previously warned that public debt could rise as the population ages and tax revenue falls.
In an aging population, the proportion of people of working age decreases, which means the government charges less taxes and pays more pensions.
In its latest forecasts in March, the OBR said that debt, measured relative to the size of the economy, is still expected to rise over the next four years, before falling marginally in the fifth year.
What is the difference between government deficit and debt?
The deficit is the difference between the government’s revenue and the amount it spends.
When a government spends less than its income, it has what is known as a surplus.
Debt is the total amount of money owed by the government that has accumulated over the years.
It increases when there is a deficit and decreases in years when there is a surplus.
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Breakfast on Wall Street: The Week Ahead

The spotlight next week will shift somewhat to the Federal Reserve’s second-quarter earnings season and monetary policy. Market watchers will be treated to results from several major names, including Dow 30 components Goldman Sachs (GS), UnitedHealth (UNH), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and American Express (AXP), along with streaming giant Netflix (NFLX).
The Fed will still attract some attention as investors will be eager to hear from a packed lineup of central bank speakers just before the policy meeting lockout period.
In terms of the economic calendar, after fifteen days of labor market and inflation indicators, activity data will gain momentum in the form of the latest retail sales and industrial production reports.
Earnings Highlight: Monday, July 15 – Goldman Sachs (GS) and BlackRock (Black). See the full earnings calendar.
Earnings Highlight: Tuesday, July 16 – UnitedHealth (UNH), Bank of America (BAC), Progressive (PGR), Morgan Stanley (IN), PNC Financial (PNC) and JB Hunt Transport (JBHT). See the full earnings calendar.
Earnings Highlight: Wednesday, July 17 – Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), US Bancorp (USB), Morgan Children (KMI), United Airlines (UAL) and Ally Financial (ALLY). See the full earnings calendar.
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Earnings Highlight: Friday, July 19 – American Express (AXP), Halliburton (THANKS) and Travelers (VRT (return to recoverable value)) See the full earnings calendar.
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Trump shooting: Gold could hit record high, dollar and cryptocurrencies set to jump

Police cars outside the residence of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected shooter at a Trump rally on Saturday, investigate the area in Pennsylvania. Following the incident, one rally attendee was killed, two rally attendees are in critical condition and Donald Trump suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound. The shooter is dead after being shot dead by the United States Secret Service. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Investors will initially favor traditional safe-haven assets and may lean toward trades more closely tied to former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the White House after he survived an assassination attempt, according to market watchers.
“There will undoubtedly be some protectionist or safe-haven flows into Asia early this morning,” said Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at ATFX Global Markets. “I suspect gold could test all-time highs, we’ll see the yen being bought and the dollar, and flows into Treasuries as well.”
Early market commentary suggested Trump’s shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday could also prompt traders to increase his likelihood of success in the November election. His support for looser fiscal policy and higher tariffs is generally seen as likely to benefit the dollar and weaken Treasuries.
An indicator of market sentiment heading into the weekend: Bitcoin surged above $60,000, likely reflecting Trump’s pro-crypto stance.
Other assets positively linked to the so-called Trump trade include stocks of energy companies, private prisons, credit card companies and health insurers.
Traders will also be closely watching market measures of expected volatility on Monday, such as those in the tariff-sensitive Chinese yuan and Mexican peso, which have begun to price in the U.S. vote.
Trump said he was shot in the right ear after a shooting at his rally. His campaign said in a statement that he was “fine” after the incident, which prompted him to rush off the stage.
“Currencies will be the first major market on Monday in Asia to react to the weekend’s shots. There’s potential for extra volatility, and getting a clear reading could be especially difficult because liquidity will be hurt by Japan’s national holiday,” said Garfield Reynolds, Asia team leader for Bloomberg Markets Live.
Strategists had already expected a volatile run-up to the election, particularly as Democrats are still agonizing over President Joe Biden’s candidacy after his poor performance in last month’s debate raised questions about his age. Investors were also grappling with the possibility that the election could end in a drawn-out dispute or political violence.
But there is little precedent for events like those in Pennsylvania. When President Ronald Reagan was shot four decades ago, the stock market plunged before closing early. The next day, March 31, 1981, the S&P 500 rose more than 1% and benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell 9 basis points to 13.13%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Bond investors should pay particular attention as the attack is likely to boost Trump’s election chances and ultimately lead to concerns about the fiscal outlook, according to Marko Papic, chief strategist at California-based BCA Research Inc.
“The bond market must at some point become aware of President Trump’s greater chances of winning the White House than any of his rivals,” Papic wrote. “And I continue to believe that as his chances increase, so too must the likelihood of a bond market revolt.”
Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Capital.com, said he was seeing client flows into Bitcoin and gold following the shooting.
“This news marks a turning point in American policy norms,” he said. “For markets, it means safe-haven trades, but more tilted toward non-traditional safe-havens.”
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Jio Financial share price: Should you buy this Reliance group stock on Monday ahead of Q1 FY2024 results?
Q1 2024 Results: Jio Financial Share Price will be in focus on Monday as the Reliance Group company has a fixed board meeting on July 15, 2024 to consider and approve the company’s unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results. Trust Group company informed about the Q1 2024 Results date on Wednesday last week via an exchange filing. According to stock market experts, Jio Financial Services Limited is poised to deliver impressive Q1 results for FY25 on solid operating income. They have forecast a healthy QoQ PAT for the company in Q1 FY25.
Jio Financial Services News
Speaking on the Jio Financial Services Q1 2024 results, Manish Chowdhury, Head of Research, StoxBox, said, “We believe Jio Financial Services is poised to deliver impressive results in Q1FY25 aided by its operating income, which is likely to show robust growth driven by strong investment income, which in turn should lead to healthy PAT growth on a sequential basis. Jio Financial Services continues to make strategic moves such as launching digital products and expanding its ecosystem, with a clear focus on future growth. The company has announced plans to introduce products for lending against stocks and mutual funds, leveraging Jio’s large user base, which could be a significant growth driver in the coming quarters.”
“Furthermore, with the NBFC receiving RBI approval to become a primary investment company, Jio Financial Services is well-positioned to unlock value from its investments. Overall, we expect the company to report robust numbers in the upcoming quarter,” the StoxBox expert added.
Jio Financial Stock Target Price
Speaking about the technical outlook of Jio Financial share price, Ganesh Dongre, Senior Manager, Technical Research at Anand Rathi, said, “Jio Financial Services share price is poised to make a fresh high at the ₹260 apiece level. If the stock breaks above this mark, the Reliance Group stock could make a fresh high by touching the ₹290-₹295 zone. Hence, those with Jio Finance stock in their portfolio are advised to stick to the script by keeping a stop loss at ₹205. If the stock breaks above ₹260 decisively, then one can upgrade the stop loss at ₹240 for the near-term target of ₹295.”
On the advice to new buyers regarding Jio Financial stock, Ganesh Dongre said, “New buyers are advised to wait for the breakout. Once the stock breaks above â‚ą260, one can buy this Reliance Group stock at the short term target of â‚ą295, keeping a stop loss of â‚ą240 apiece.”
Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or brokerage firms, and not of Mint. Investors are advised to consult with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
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