Britain has posted its largest annual budget deficit since World War II - although 2009-10 borrowing was slightly better than forecast by the government.
The Office for National Statistics said on Thursday that public sector net borrowing rose to a record 152.84 billion pounds ($235.9 billion), or 10.9 percent of gross domestic product. That was up from 86.91 billion pounds in 2008/09.
The blowout in Britain’s deficit has been a key point of contention in campaigning for the May 6 national election.
The ruling Labour Party - which forecast borrowing of 167 billion pounds - has argued that spending was necessary to escape a deeper recession. The main opposition Conservative Party says that the deficit must be reduced urgently for a recovery to be successful.
