UK Spent £18.3bn More Than It Earned in August

UK government borrowed £18.3bn in August 2026, spending more than it earned, the Office for National Statistics said September 22. That is £2.9bn more than August 2025 and £3.5bn above the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast, the budget watchdog, and City analysts' £15.6bn guess. Repeated misses leave the chancellor, the finance chief, less room to control debt.