Borrowing fails to meet Chancellor’s target despite 17-year low
Chancellor Philip Hammond has missed his full-year borrowing target despite the deficit reaching a 17-year low.
Public sector net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, fell by £17.2 billion to £24.7 billion for the year to March 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
But borrowing was still £1.9 billion higher than the £22.8 billion forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) last month.
Borrowing in the financial year April 2018 to March 2019 was £24.7 billion, £17.2 billion less than in 2017-18; this was the lowest financial year borrowing since 2001-02 https://t.co/uwSWVCTZ3wpic.twitter.com/z2XbgLlMQJ
— ONS (@ONS) April 24, 2019
The deficit fell to its lowest in 17 years, at 1.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), down from 9.9% at the height of the financial crisis a decade ago, the ONS added.
In March alone, borrowing jumped to £1.7 billion, an increase of £900 million year-on-year.
Economists had predicted net borrowing of £400 million for the month.
