Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

UK debt to be worst in 50 years under no-deal Brexit

UK debt to be worst in 50 years under no-deal Brexit

Britain's leading independent economic research institute said even the most "relatively benign" no-deal Brexit would increase debt in the United Kingdom to levels not seen since the 1960s.
In its Green Budget report, published in the run-up to Chancellor Sajid Javid's first budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, also known as the IFS, warned that public borrowing could rise to 100 billion pounds ($122 billion) and debt would reach 90 percent of national income.

"The government is now adrift without any effective fiscal anchor," said IFS Director Paul Johnson, adding that "given the extraordinary level of uncertainty and risks facing the economy and public finances, (the government) should not be looking to offer further permanent overall tax giveaways in any forthcoming budget.

"In the case of a no-deal Brexit, though, it should be implementing carefully targeted and temporary tax cuts and spending increases where it can effectively support the economy," he added, with the IFS also warning that a no-deal Brexit could see the UK economy flatlining for two years.

A treasury spokesman defended the government's spending plans, saying: "The chancellor has already said that we will be reviewing the fiscal framework as we turn the page on austerity. In so doing, we will retain a fiscal anchor to public spending so that decisions are taken with a view to the long-term sustainability of the public finances."

Meanwhile, an assessment paper released by taxation body HM Revenues and Customs says a no-deal Brexit could leave UK businesses with an annual bill of 15 billion pounds in administration and form-filling.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists the country will leave the European Union at the end of October, "come what may, do or die", regardless of whether or not a deal has been reached, even though Parliament is doing its best to prevent no-deal.

Last week, he told the Conservative Party conference that leaving the EU would save the country 1 billion pounds per month, but the HM Customs figure, based on levels of trade from 2017, paints a very different picture.

Meanwhile, the war of words over Brexit continues, with an unnamed Downing Street source saying that any agreement is "essentially impossible not just now but ever" after a reportedly frosty phone conversation between Johnson and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel's office declined to comment on confidential discussions, but European Council President Donald Tusk subsequently tweeted to Johnson "what's at stake is not winning some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people."

Members of the opposition Labour Party called the latest move a "cynical attempt to sabotage the negotiations".

Johnson "will never take responsibility for his own failure to put forward a credible deal", said Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, calling upon politicians across the party divide in Parliament to "unite to prevent this reckless government crashing us out of the EU".
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×