What was claimed
The government hasn’t balanced its books because debt is up from £1 trillion to £1.7 trillion.
Our verdict
Correct. The deficit is falling and debt is still rising.
The UK public debt is rising
23 June 2017
“The Tories have not balanced the books, because our debt has gone from £1 trillion to £1.7 trillion”.
Gina Miller, 22 June 2017
That’s right. The government still runs a deficit, spending more than its income. As a result, government debt continues to go up.
Government debt was £1 trillion in 2009/10, and was just above £1.7 trillion in 2016/17. Forecasts suggest it will be over 1.8 trillion this year.
The government set targets to do with eliminating the deficit in 2010 (which it didn’t meet) and in 2015 (which it abandoned after the EU referendum).
The deficit has fallen by nearly three quarters between 2009/10 and 2016/17, when compared to the size of the economy.