Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

UK owes what it produces: GDP ties with debt in a first since 1960s

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 20 Sep 2024 17:34
3 Min Read

The Chief Secretary of the UK's Treasury says that this will put the Labour government in front of "difficult choices" to

Listen
  • x
  • UK owes what it produces: GDP ties with debt in a first since 1960s
    Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers a speech at the Treasury, to an audience of leading business figures and senior stakeholders, announcing the first steps the new Labour Government will take to deliver economic growth, in London on July 8, 2024 (AFP)

The UK's national debt has climbed to 100% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), marking the highest level since the 1960s, The Guardian said in a Friday report.

In other words, Britain now owes an amount equal to the total value of all goods and services it produces in a year.

This is one of the key challenges facing British Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who is currently preparing October's budget.

Read more: UK economy stalls, setting back new government

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that the government's debt as a percentage of GDP rose by 4.3 percentage points over the year leading up to August, reaching an amount equivalent to the total annual output of the economy.

Government borrowing, which represents the gap between public sector spending and revenue, amounted to £13.7 billion. This marks an increase of £3.3 billion from the same month last year - the third-largest August deficit since monthly records began in January 1993.

Related News

Corbyn to Al Mayadeen: New party to fight for justice and Palestine

Heatwave politics: Could air conditioning become a UK election issue?

Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the UK's Treasury, indicated that the data reflects the strained state of public finances left by the previous government, which would compel Labour to make "difficult choices" to recover the economy.

Read more: UK faces £2.71Bln bill to replenish stockpiles after aiding Ukraine
 
“When we came into office, we inherited an economy that wasn’t working for working people. Today’s data shows the highest August borrowing on record, outside the pandemic. Debt is 100% of GDP, the highest level since the 1960s,” he said.

In August, Reeves revealed her intention to eliminate winter fuel payments for most pensioners, halt plans for social care reform, and cut investment in roads, railways, and hospitals as part of an initial effort to reduce borrowing.

However, growing concerns within Labour suggest that the pessimistic tone is harming the government, with economists cautioning that actions undermining consumer confidence could negatively impact growth and employment.

Read more: UK out of top 10 manufacturing economies, Russia goes up to eighth

Data released on Friday by GfK showed that consumer confidence dropped to its lowest point since March. The decline was attributed to Reeves’s proposal to eliminate winter fuel payments for all but the most vulnerable households, along with warnings of more tough decisions ahead.

“At what is almost the halfway point of the fiscal year, the UK’s fiscal position remains challenging, and Treasury analysis suggests that the situation may deteriorate further over the remainder of the year," said Matt Swannell, the chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club.

“The government will likely have to increase spending over the next few months, due to a combination of accepting the recommendations for higher pay increases from public sector pay boards and non-labour cost overruns across a range of government departments.”

  • Labour Party
  • UK
  • Rachel Reeves
  • United Kingdom

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS