(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 22 gen - Borrowing, the difference between total UK public sector spending and income, was 11.6 billion pounds in December, 7.1 billion pounds, or 38.0%, less than December, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Borrowing in the financial year to December 2025 was 140.4 billion pounds, 0.3 billion pounds, or 0.2%, less than in the same nine-month period of 2024, but still the third-highest April to December borrowing on record, after those of 2020 and 2024, the ONS added.

Borrowing in the financial year to December 2025 was provisionally estimated at 4.6% of gross domestic product, which is 0.2 percentage points less than in the same nine-month period of 2024.

The current budget deficit - borrowing to fund day-to-day public sector activities - was 5.8 billion poundsin December. This brings the total current budget deficit in the financial year to December 2025 to 94.9 billion pounds, which is 1.6 billion pounds, or 1.6%, less than in the same nine-month period of 2024.

Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks - a measure of the amount of money owed to the UK private sector and overseas less any liquid assets held - was provisionally estimated at 95.5% of GDP at the end of December 2025; this was 0.9 percentage points more than at the end of December 2024 and remains at levels last seen in the early 1960s.

Public sector net financial liabilities excluding public sector banks - which considers a wider range of financial assets and liabilities than net debt - were provisionally estimated at 85.0% of GDP at the end of December, 2.5 percentage points more than at the end of December 2024.

Central government net cash requirement (excluding UK Asset Resolution Ltd and Network Rail) - the additional cash needed to be raised from the financial markets to finance activities - was 14.5 billion pounds in December, 4.9 billion pound, or.

25.2%, less than in December 2024.

(RADIOCOR) 22-01-26 08:34:09 (0157) 5 NNNN