Delay on Debt Fix Will Cost Twice as Much, UK Budget Office Warns

The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility warned that fixing Britain's debt crisis will require twice the spending cuts or tax rises if delayed from the early 2030s to mid-century. Three costs—defence, pensions, health—will surge together without policy changes, pushing debt onto permanent upward track after 2040. Electoral cycles favour short-term thinking; debt consequences unfold over decades.