Weak public finances are likely to limit Philip Hammond’s ability to boost the economy STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PABritain ran a budget deficit of £10.6 billion in September, suggesting that the nation’s public finances are in much worse shape than expected only a month before the chancellor delivers the autumn statement. September’s public sector net borrowing figure was £1.3 billion higher than at the same time last year and greater than the £8.5 billion that economists had been expecting, according to the Office for National Statistics. The weak figure means that the deficit for the first six months of the year has reached £45.5 billion. This is close to the £55.5 billion of total public borrowing that the…

Source: The Times October 21, 2016 11:03 UTC