The country had to significantly increase public spending amid the coronavirus crisis, as the UK remains among the worst-hit countries in Europe. In June, the cabinet pledged to spend billions of pounds to rescue the British economy, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain's public debt crossed the two trillion-pound mark ($2.65 trillion) for the first time back in July, according to official data. Net debt, excluding public banks, rose to 2.004 trillion pounds ($2.66 trillion), up by nearly 230 billion pounds from July 2019, which is equivalent to around 100.5% of the nation's economic output.
"Today's figures are a stark reminder that we must return our public finances to a sustainable footing over time, which will require taking difficult decisions", Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said.
The United Kingdom has experienced its deepest recession since records began. According to official statistics, its output shrunk by 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020. The employment rate also decreased by 220,000 during the same period, showing the largest quarterly drop in over a decade.
The country remains the worst-hit country in Europe, with a death toll over 41,000, while the overall number of infections has reached 324,200, making it the third-highest place on the continent, right after Russia and Spain.
