UK govt debt tops $2.6 trn for first time; Sunak calls for tough decisions

UK government debt passed £2 trillion ($2.6 trillion) for the first time, a milestone that will stoke the debate over how Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak should finance his unprecedented support for the pandemic-ravaged economy.

It means Britain now owes an amount euiqvalent to more than 100 per cent of economic output, the heaviest burden since the early 1960s, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday.
 

Sunak said the figures show that difficult decisions are needed to bring the nation’s public finances back to a sustainable footing, in a clear signal he’s not prepared to allow borrowing