UK borrows £18bn in August, putting pressure on Healey before budget

Some economists say it is now ‘inevitable’ that chancellor will need to raise taxes in the budget next month The UK government borrowed a higher-than-expected £18.3bn last month, increasing the pressure on John Healey as he attempts to calm jittery bond market

The Guardian|Tue, 22 September 2026 at 14:04

Some economists say it is now ‘inevitable’ that chancellor will need to raise taxes in the budget next month

The UK government borrowed a higher-than-expected £18.3bn last month, increasing the pressure on John Healey as he attempts to calm jittery bond markets before next month’s budget.

Some economists said it was “inevitable” that the chancellor would need to raise taxes on 28 October if he is to meet demands for extra spending on defence without further borrowing from investors on international money markets.

This summary was compiled from a public newswire feed. The original reporting is by The Guardian and remains their copyright — read it at the source.