General · 21 June 2026
UK borrowing hits £23.3bn, debt interest record
Britain borrowed £23.3 billion in May, the second highest amount ever for that month, and much more than experts predicted. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicated that May's debt interest payments hit a record-breaking £11.7 billion. Higher inflation, especially from the Middle East conflict, pushed up the cost of servicing index-linked government debt.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs