UK FACT CHECK POLITICS
UK FACT CHECK POLITICS
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From: Budget 2026 live: Latest updates, analysis and fact checks

Sunday Telegraph reports '£49bn black hole' in public finances, Treasury disputes it

Today's Sunday Telegraph leads with what it calls a '£49bn black hole' in the public finances, four days after John Healey delivered the Budget. The report appears on the paper's front page, according to a summary of the BBC's review of the Sunday papers.

Kemi Badenoch told the paper the spending proposals would require tax rises.

The Treasury rejects the claim. It says the Budget met the fiscal rules and puts borrowing on a downward path.

The paper's figure has not been independently checked. The summary gives no time period for the £49bn, and does not say how it was calculated or what it is measured against. Until that is clear, the figure cannot be compared with the official forecasts.

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