Britain borrowed £15.7bn to balance the books last month, the highest December figure on record, as two-and-a-half years of financial crisis and recession took a toll of the public finances.
Despite some signs that the pace of decline may be easing, the government’s net borrowing stood at £120bn in the first nine months of the financial year, almost double the total for the same period in 2008-09.
The Office for National Statistics said the gap between government spending and tax receipts received by HM Revenue and Customs was the highest since recent records began in 1993.
source: Guardian